You know that drugs aren’t the best way to treat type 2 diabetes.
Just look at metformin. About a third of the people taking it experience some unpleasant side effects. Things like diarrhea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Health Watch readers know antioxidants are the better medicine for type 2 diabetes. But new research shows there may be a much darker—and dangerous—side to this “safe,” popular drug…
Researchers in Canada looked at health data from 74,300 patients over a 25-year period. The subjects had received either metformin or sulfonylurea—another diabetes drug—to treat type 2 diabetes. They found people taking metformin were increased their risk for low levels of this essential hormone by up to 55%…especially if they already had problems with it in the past.1
It’s a hormone that helps control everything from energy to body temperature. The problem is it might the last thing you think of when you aren’t feeling like yourself. At first the symptoms are easy to miss. Things like feelings of fatigue, joint pain, and even depression. In time, it can cause damage to the rest of your body. It may even rob you of your senses of smell and taste.2
Sure, your doctor will try to help. But their drugs could be what get you in this mess in the first place.
By trying to fix type 2 diabetes with one of Big Pharma’s “solutions,” you could be creating an even more serious one…
We’re talking about thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).
Not having enough of it is what leads to hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid.
But forget hypothyroidism… Just having low TSH puts you at risk for bone fractures and heart problems.3
Researchers saw the most dramatic increase for low TSH levels in people who had already dealt with hypothyroidism. This means people with weak or recovering glands were in the most danger. And they probably thought their problems with their thyroid were fixed… It could be months before symptoms lead them back to their doctor. And that could start the cycle all over again.
This doesn’t mean metformin is the only drug to look out for, either.
Research shows that glucocorticoids, dopamine agonists, and other medications can have a similar effect.4 In other words, there’s more than one way to damage your thyroid without realizing it. Your best bet is to do everything you can to support natural thyroid function.
One way to protect it is to avoid fluoride. Even something as simple as limiting environmental toxins in your home can help. Adding seaweed to your diet—or finding a natural supplement—is another way to give your thyroid the support it needs to function at its best. You’ll have no problem finding it in most health food stores and online.
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References:
1http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2014/09/22/cmaj.140688.1
2http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000353.htm
3http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282854.php
4http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2784889/