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Want to know if progesterone will help me

by William
(Pennsylvania)

Wray,

I was just checking to see if you thought progesterone cream would work for me. I have done some research. But most of what I have read is related to women. I am currently a 36-year-old male and here is my story:

Several years ago I was diagnosed with elevated antibodies and nodules on my thyroid. The endocrinologist I went to recommended having my thyroid removed. Not wanting to do such an extreme step right away, I decided to seek out natural approaches. I came across a doctor who deals with the adrenals and thyroid and treats them with alternative medicine. Since I have gone to him I have seen improvement. Not only are my TSH , T3 and T4 levels in what he considers the normal range, but I have experienced improvement in many of my symptoms, and my antibodies and nodules have not gotten any worse. Despite this, I am still having some symptoms that my doctor cannot find the root cause of. We have tried things like supplement with Iron, use cortisol for my adrenals, and go on a gluten free diet. However, the following symptoms don’t seem to want to go away: intolerance for heat, constant sweaty armpits, fatigue, excess weight around the mid-line, and inability to handle stressful situations. The worst of these symptoms is the sweating. When I should be outside enjoying my kids in the summer, I find myself wanting to stay indoors in the AC. Currently, I am taking the following supplements and medication:

· Potassium chloride (20 MEQ) – this is for my blood pressure
· Armour thyroid (60 MG 2x’s per day)
· Vitamin B, C, D
· Iodoral – Iodine (12.5mg 1x per day)
· Cytozyme-AD (2x’s per day) – this is for my adrenals

My wife recommended trying progesterone. At this point I am open to any suggestions.

Thanks,

William

Comments for Want to know if progesterone will help me

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Apr 10, 2013
 Want to know if progesterone will help me
by: Wray

Hi William I'm delighted your wife suggested progesterone, it can help with some of your symptoms. Most of which I'd put down to Stress. I've usually heard hyperthyroidism causes intolerance to heat, so I'm rather surprised you've been given medications for hypothyroidism and it's helped! Although there are other possible reasons, see here. But it is a stress symptom, see here, and can be caused by Anxiety. Anxiety of course causes excessive sweating, this is an excellent paper on hyperhidrosis, which can occur anywhere, but more often hands, feet and axillae. This is info I put together for others on sweat glands, the chemicals produced, odour etc......The arm pit has two sweat glands, eccrine which produce what we know as sweat. And apocrine which produce a thick secretion containing cholesterol, hormones, fats and protein. This is apparently only produced in response to emotional stress. Although it has no smell, bacteria living on the skin break it down with enzymes releasing an odour. The offending substances are fatty acids and the androgen steroids, especially 5-alpha androstenol and 5-alpha androstenone. These androgens are pheromones found in human sweat glands and urine. The enzymes the bacteria secrete are beta-glucuronidase and aryl sulfatase. Steroid malodour production can be prevented by inhibitors of beta-glucuronidase and aryl sulfatase. Oestrogen and the androgens are metabolised in the liver by glucuronic acid, the process is known as glucuronidation. The process also removes other substances, including toxins, drugs, bilirubin, mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids. It's then excreted in the bile, but an enzyme in the intestine called beta-glucuronidase breaks the steroid/glucuronide bond, which allows the steroids to be reabsorbed. Calcium D-glucarate inhibits beta-glucuronidase. I don’t know what inhibits aryl sulfatase. So I suggest taking some calcium D-glucarate and see if that helps. Incidentally this enzyme is produced by undesirable gut bacteria, supplementing with probiotics suppresses the bacteria, and subsequently the beta-glucuronidase. These are a few papers here and here. Underarm odour could be because the pH of the underarm is too high. The skin has a pH of 4.5 to 5.5, it can be slightly higher in the underarm. But if too high, bacteria have a field day. Continued below
Apr 10, 2013
 Want to know if progesterone will help me Part 2
by: Wray

Hi William Acid/alkaline strips from a health shop can check the pH, if too high it can be brought down with various natural acids.....lemon juice or vinegar, citric and tartaric acids. Try mixing a small amount in some water and rubbing that on. Don't use aluminium salts, although acid, aluminium has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, many antiperspirants contain it. It seems unstable blood glucose could be behind heat intolerance, it is behind many anxious states, which is explained on the anxiety page I've given. It can be behind the fatigue and weight gain too. There's more info on our Insulin Resistance page. As I said in the beginning, I feel stress is behind all your symptoms which points to the adrenals, not so much the thyroid. If the adrenals are stressed it upsets all the other systems. This is an excellent article here including cortisol levels. Finally progesterone, it can help stressed adrenals. These first secrete progesterone which they then convert into cortisol the stress hormone. If stressed they tend to rob other sources, in men this is the testes. By supplying supplemental progesterone it relieves the adrenals of having to produce it. Progesterone helps further as it's very calming, it activates the GABA receptors, GABA is our most calming neurotransmitter. The papers are all on the anxiety page. It also helps stabilise blood glucose. And can help fatigue too. You could consider taking taurine too, it's also a calming amino acid, plus vital for the heart. In case you're concerned progesterone is a female hormone and will affect your sexuality it isn't and won't. It's made by both sexes and all vertebrates. It's actually essential for a good Libido. I think above all else you are low in vitamin D. It's vital for the thyroid, see here, here, here, here, here and here. Continued below
Apr 10, 2013
 Want to know if progesterone will help me Part 3
by: Wray

Hi William Vital for high BP, a low level causes the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system to kick in sending BP up, see here, here, here here and here. A low level also disturbs blood glucose and causes IR and weight gain. Plus a low level reduces the benefits of progesterone, more info about this on our page about Traumatic Brain Injury. Please have a vitamin D test done. For more info on vitamin D levels, test kits etc see the Vitamin D Council, GrassrootsHealth and Birmingham Hospital. Blood levels should be 70-100ng/ml (175-250nmol/L) and not the 30ng/ml (75nmol/L) most labs and doctors regard as adequate. The minimum daily dose should be 5000iu's per day, although recent research indicates it should be 10,000iu's per day, see here. I feel you need to eliminate all sugars and sweet starchy carbs, possibly follow the Paleo Diet. There's info on our Nutrition page. Check your vitamin D level, if low take at least 10,000iu/day to bring it up quickly. Try the progesterone for the stress too, I'd suggest 50 to 100mg/day to begin with. If you have an adverse reaction please see our page on Oestrogen Dominance. If you try any of my suggestions, I do appreciate feedback, even if negative! Take care Wray
Apr 27, 2018
 Progesterone helps heat intolerance
by: Anonymous

Progesterone has been the only thing that has helped with my heat intolerance. I am now back to normal and get cold like I used to.

It took about 2-3 weeks for me to start noticing a huge difference.
I used to be hot when the air was on 68 degrees. Now I’m getting cold with the air on 70 or 71. Yes. I feel so much better not being so hot all the time. It’s taken me 4 years to find the right dr. to help me.

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