Inflammatory disorders and elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-a and IL-6 can also perpetuate osteoporosis.

14 Sep Inflammatory disorders and elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-a and IL-6 can also perpetuate osteoporosis.

Are your bones losing their strength and density?? Lots of things can lead to bone density loss. The literature is fairly clear, that adults with hypothyroidism have an increased risk for bone softening disease. If a patient has hypothyroidism, it is simple, go to the doctor and get some medications and when the lab values return to normal…….shazam, everything is magically fixed, right?? Not so fast…..

The literature demonstrates that thyroid disorders can cause bone softening, but even after corrected by thyroid medication, the rate of bone softening related to a thyroid disorder does not go down as the thyroid lab values stabilize with treatment. In other words…bone disease reduction and thyroid correction are not proportionate. Why in the world would this be the case one would ask??? There are multiple reasons…

It is now widely known that people with chronic, systemic – inflammatory disorders and elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-a and IL-6 can also perpetuate osteoporosis. That along with hormonal changes are the likely co-culprits to generating osteoporosis. Inflammation is notorious for creating a decrease in thyroid output or dysregulation. Thus, sustained inflammation for whatever reason can lead to perpetual thyroid disorders along with bone softening and when the thyroid disorder is corrected with medication or by other means, the other underlying inflammation, if not also corrected, will continue to create significant bone pathology.

If one wants to be successful, all components of a thyroid disorder and the causation of the thyroid disorder must also be corrected in order to obtain optimal results. This might include immune and inflammatory regulation, thyroid hormone level regulation, possible iodine regulation, dopamine or serotonin or adrenal regulation, sex hormone regulation and on and on.

What is the take home point??? Thyroid disorders cause a lot of conditions, but often times there are physiological scenarios surrounding the thyroid issue that impact it, and also perpetuate the conditions that are created by thyroid disease. In the case of bone softening disease, the thyroid can cause it, but so can the systemic inflammation that might also co-exist with the thyroid disorders as well. Unless both are corrected, the perpetuating bone disorder may not slow, reverse or correct.

So as thyroid levels are treated, a good clinician must also stop other issues that relate to or cause the thyroid disorder. One of those is prolonged, sustained inflammation that does not go away and is constantly in the background. A true cross trained practitioner is one that can treat multiple factors and get much greater results other than just treating a single medical situation, such as giving a single thyroid medication. The appropriate dietary intake, significant slowing of inflammation, supporting neurotransmitters, activating the brain, supporting the thyroid, supporting other hormonal systems, avoiding stress, supporting adrenal function, improving nutrient absorption in the gut, alleviating infection and having positive thoughts as well as applying strengthening exercises are some of the things that comprehensively impact the correction of bone softening disease.

Once thing I like clinically is Glutathione in a suppository form for inflammation. I often use GlutaMax from GlutaGenic.com. You should consult your functional medicine doctor before you start any supplement.