Hypothyroidism Increases Risk of Heart Disease

By: Physicians Preference RX

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in both men and women.  When most people think about protecting their heart, thyroid function probably doesn’t come to mind.  After all, how often have you heard that hypothyroidism is a risk factor for heart disease? Probably never.

Here are two ways hypothyroidism leads to heart disease:

1. MUCIN

Mucin is a glue-like substance that is a normal part of your immune system and is present in your tissues. However, hypothyroidism causes an abnormal accumulation of mucin in your connective tissues. The result is swelling that eventually spreads to all your tissues, including your heart.

As tissues become engorged with mucin, heart function slows, which leads to a weak and wounded heart, unable to pump blood efficiently. This is known as congestive heart failure. Excess mucin also leads to injury of the arteries. Additional difficulties in the heart arise with the accumulation of mucin, such as atrial fibrillation, palpitations, and an increase or decrease in heart rate. It has been documented that treatment of an enlarged heart using natural thyroid supplementation reduces the tissues to normal size.

2. INFLAMMATION

Hypothyroidism causes inflammation that damages the coronary arteries. People with low thyroid function have an increased incidence of infection and inflammation.  It is well documented in medical literature that coronary artery disease begins with an inflammatory process that damages the coronary arteries.

The thyroid is responsible for the body’s metabolism.  Normal thyroid metabolism helps to prevent recurrent infection and chronic inflammation.  Your body’s natural defense against inflammation is to produce antioxidants to fend off dangerous free radicals that create oxidative damage in your body.  A slow metabolism affects the rate at which antioxidants are produced.  The result is that few antioxidants are left to minimize the effects of free radicals. This leaves your arteries and blood vessels open to further attack, leading to atherosclerosis.

Do you have hypothyroidism?

Could your heart be at risk from untreated hypothyroidism? As always, the first place to begin is with your symptoms. The classic symptoms of hypothyroidism are as follows: fatigue, difficulty losing weight, poor sleep, decreased mental sharpness, short term memory loss, hair loss, cold hands and feet, depressed moods, constipation, and muscle and joint pain, to name a few.

Take our symptom checker to find out if you have symptoms of low thyroid function.

Treatment of Hypothyroidism

We treat hypothyroidism with bioidentical compounded T3/T4, which contains both the inactive thyroid hormone (T4) and the active thyroid hormone (T3). The real benefit is that it can be customized for the patient, because we can compound any dose of T3 and T4 needed for the patient.  It has less fillers than tablets and is dye-free.

Get Your T3/T4 Prescription Today           

If you’re living with several of these symptoms of hypothyroidism, not only has your quality of life declined, but you could also be unnecessarily endangering your heart. Take action today to protect your heart.  Contact Physician’s Preference Pharmacy International at 281-828-9088 to get your prescription of compounded T3/T4 today.