By Dr. Josh Redd, Chiropractic Physician, RedRiver Health and Wellness Center
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 pro-inflammatory.
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 percent of cases.
To combat this, it’s important to have healthy *methylation,* a crucial biochemical pathway. Methylation is a 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 and is linked to high homocysteine, dementia, depression, poor liver detoxification, birth defects, etc.
Supplements that provide methyl donors include:
- Methyl folate
- Methyl B12
- Trimethylglycine
- Choline
- MSM
- Betaine
- Pyridoxal 5’-Phosphate (active vitamin B6)
- Riboflavin 5’-Phosphate (active vitamin B2)
- (Avoid synthetic B vitamins!)
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.
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 is over 7, this may be another indicator of poor methylation.
Work with a doctor on testing hormone levels who knows the best time to test in your cycle and which tests to run. This includes testing levels of estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and FSH, and LH.
If you are perimenopausal or menopausal be sure and 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 redriverhealthandwellness.com. We work with your prescribing physician for optimal results. Do not discontinue medication or hormone replacement therapy without consulting your prescribing physician.