Tendon Pain in Menopause

[Amazigh]

Hey everyone, I went into menopause about 2 1/2 years ago with no symptoms since I have been taking progesterone for a long time.

However, the last few months I have been experiencing increasing tendon pain in several areas of my body, including the tendons in the hip area, above the knees, the medial side of the thighs, and below the calf. Most recently, also in my hands as a result of Increased use since I’m doing a home renovation.

In my searches, I keep seeing references to low estrogen, and no other solutions mentioned other than taking estrogen, which, obviously I don’t want to do. I am currently taking T4 and T3, as well as progesterone.

Does anyone out there have any other information on the causes and solutions for this issue? It is interfering with my daily activities and lower the quality of life.

Thanks!

 

[Regina]

Hey everyone, I went into menopause about 2 1/2 years ago with no symptoms since I have been taking progesterone for a long time.

However, the last few months I have been experiencing increasing tendon pain in several areas of my body, including the tendons in the hip area, above the knees, the medial side of the thighs, and below the calf. Most recently, also in my hands as a result of Increased use since I’m doing a home renovation.

In my searches, I keep seeing references to low estrogen, and no other solutions mentioned other than taking estrogen, which, obviously I don’t want to do. I am currently taking T4 and T3, as well as progesterone.

Does anyone out there have any other information on the causes and solutions for this issue? It is interfering with my daily activities and lower the quality of life.

Thanks!

Magnoil ( haidut's liquid magnesium supplement) has been wonderful for my hands during our home renovation. My hand can often feel like a stiff and painful claw in the evening. I draw some lines of magnoil across the top of my hand and fingers. Immediately, I feel a thermogenic (heating up) response on my hand and body. Works great for my hands or spot uses on other stiff areas.
But with the extent of your pains, perhaps there is an endotoxin issue. "Have you tried the carrot salad?"
Perhaps, carrot salad, charcoal and minocycline (or doxycline), along with magnesium and aspirin. I also really like Lapodin. haidut's emodin product.

 

[mostlylurking]

However, the last few months I have been experiencing increasing tendon pain in several areas of my body, including the tendons in the hip area, above the knees, the medial side of the thighs, and below the calf. Most recently, also in my hands as a result of Increased use since I’m doing a home renovation.

I am personally familiar with what you are describing. There are several things I'd like to mention. First is the likelihood of developing hypothyroidism after menopause. It would be a good idea to find a good endocrinologist and get properly evaluated. I developed rheumatoid arthritis at age 64; optimizing my thyroid medication resolved the rheumatoid arthritis.

Blocking Tissue Destruction

Ray Peat

raypeat.com

-paste-
ARTHRITIS AND NATURAL HORMONES

A very healthy 71 year-old man was under his house repairing the foundation, when a support slipped and let the house fall far enough to break some facial bones. During his recovery, he developed arthritis in his hands. It is fairly common for arthritis to appear shortly after an accident, a shock, or surgery, and Han Selye's famous work with rats shows that when stress exhausts the adrenal glands (so they are unable to produce normal amounts of cortisone and related steroid hormones), arthritis and other "degenerative" diseases are likely to develop.

But when this man went to his doctor to "get something for his arthritis," he was annoyed that the doctor insisted on giving him a complete physical exam, and wouldn't give him a shot of cortisone. The examination showed low thyroid function, and the doctor prescribed a supplement of thyroid extract, explaining that arthritis is one of the many symptoms of hypothyroidism. The patient agreed to take the thyroid, but for several days he grumbled about the doctor 'fixing something that wasn't wrong' with him, and ignoring his arthritis. But in less than two weeks, the arthritis had entirely disappeared. He lived to be 89, without a recurrence of arthritis. (He died iatrogenically, while in good health.)

Selye's work with the diseases of stress, and the anti-stress hormones of the adrenal cortex, helped many scientists to think more clearly about the interaction of the organism with its environment, but it has led others to focus too narrowly on hormones of the adrenal cortex (such as cortisol and cortisone), and to forget the older knowledge about natural resistance. There are probably only a few physicians now practicing who would remember to check for hypothyroidism in an arthritis patient, or in other stress-related conditions. Hypothyroidism is a common cause of adrenal insufficiency, but it also has some direct effects on joint tissues. In chronic hypothyroidism (myxedema and cretinism), knees and elbows are often bent abnormally.
-end paste-

Another thing to consider is that after the age of 60-65, people are more likely to develop thiamine deficiency because the intestine's ability to absorb thiamine becomes less efficient. Both thiamine deficiency and hypothyroidism interfere with the body's ability to make energy at the cellular level (ATP). If this function is compromised, the body's ability to repair itself can't work. Every cell in the body requires ATP to do its job.

How Can Something As Simple as Thiamine Cause So Many Problems? - Hormones Matter

Is thiamine deficiency too simple to explain the devastating nature of the systemic adverse reactions to some vaccines and medications?

www.hormonesmatter.com

In my searches, I keep seeing references to low estrogen, and no other solutions mentioned other than taking estrogen, which, obviously I don’t want to do. I am currently taking T4 and T3, as well as progesterone.

Use this search engine: PeatSearch: a Ray Peat-specific search engine - Toxinless to search Ray Peat's articles. Use the search cell that excludes the forum. Search for Arthritis. Also research Hypothyroidism, also search for Inflammation.

Does anyone out there have any other information on the causes and solutions for this issue? It is interfering with my daily activities and lower the quality of life.

In addition to optimizing my thyroid medication (I use prescription NP Thyroid by Acella) and taking high dose thiamine hcl, I've found that taking a pretty hefty dose of magnesium glycine has been very helpful. Taking thiamine improves the body's tolerance for magnesium. Both thiamine and magnesium are needed to optimize the integrity of the intestine.

Magnesium Status and Stress: The Vicious Circle Concept Revisited

Magnesium deficiency and stress are both common conditions among the general population, which, over time, can increase the risk of health consequences. Numerous studies, both in pre-clinical and clinical settings, have investigated the interaction of ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

In addition, I also consume quite a bit of gelatin, which is anti-inflammatory and I believe is beneficial for the connective tissue.

Gelatin, stress, longevity

Ray Peat

raypeat.com

I hope you find this information helpful.

 

[Regina]

I am personally familiar with what you are describing. There are several things I'd like to mention. First is the likelihood of developing hypothyroidism after menopause. It would be a good idea to find a good endocrinologist and get properly evaluated. I developed rheumatoid arthritis at age 64; optimizing my thyroid medication resolved the rheumatoid arthritis.

Blocking Tissue Destruction

Ray Peat

raypeat.com

-paste-
ARTHRITIS AND NATURAL HORMONES

A very healthy 71 year-old man was under his house repairing the foundation, when a support slipped and let the house fall far enough to break some facial bones. During his recovery, he developed arthritis in his hands. It is fairly common for arthritis to appear shortly after an accident, a shock, or surgery, and Han Selye's famous work with rats shows that when stress exhausts the adrenal glands (so they are unable to produce normal amounts of cortisone and related steroid hormones), arthritis and other "degenerative" diseases are likely to develop.

But when this man went to his doctor to "get something for his arthritis," he was annoyed that the doctor insisted on giving him a complete physical exam, and wouldn't give him a shot of cortisone. The examination showed low thyroid function, and the doctor prescribed a supplement of thyroid extract, explaining that arthritis is one of the many symptoms of hypothyroidism. The patient agreed to take the thyroid, but for several days he grumbled about the doctor 'fixing something that wasn't wrong' with him, and ignoring his arthritis. But in less than two weeks, the arthritis had entirely disappeared. He lived to be 89, without a recurrence of arthritis. (He died iatrogenically, while in good health.)

Selye's work with the diseases of stress, and the anti-stress hormones of the adrenal cortex, helped many scientists to think more clearly about the interaction of the organism with its environment, but it has led others to focus too narrowly on hormones of the adrenal cortex (such as cortisol and cortisone), and to forget the older knowledge about natural resistance. There are probably only a few physicians now practicing who would remember to check for hypothyroidism in an arthritis patient, or in other stress-related conditions. Hypothyroidism is a common cause of adrenal insufficiency, but it also has some direct effects on joint tissues. In chronic hypothyroidism (myxedema and cretinism), knees and elbows are often bent abnormally.
-end paste-

Another thing to consider is that after the age of 60-65, people are more likely to develop thiamine deficiency because the intestine's ability to absorb thiamine becomes less efficient. Both thiamine deficiency and hypothyroidism interfere with the body's ability to make energy at the cellular level (ATP). If this function is compromised, the body's ability to repair itself can't work. Every cell in the body requires ATP to do its job.

How Can Something As Simple as Thiamine Cause So Many Problems? - Hormones Matter

Is thiamine deficiency too simple to explain the devastating nature of the systemic adverse reactions to some vaccines and medications?

www.hormonesmatter.com

Use this search engine: PeatSearch: a Ray Peat-specific search engine - Toxinless to search Ray Peat's articles. Use the search cell that excludes the forum. Search for Arthritis. Also research Hypothyroidism, also search for Inflammation.

In addition to optimizing my thyroid medication (I use prescription NP Thyroid by Acella) and taking high dose thiamine hcl, I've found that taking a pretty hefty dose of magnesium glycine has been very helpful. Taking thiamine improves the body's tolerance for magnesium. Both thiamine and magnesium are needed to optimize the integrity of the intestine.

Magnesium Status and Stress: The Vicious Circle Concept Revisited

Magnesium deficiency and stress are both common conditions among the general population, which, over time, can increase the risk of health consequences. Numerous studies, both in pre-clinical and clinical settings, have investigated the interaction of ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

In addition, I also consume quite a bit of gelatin, which is anti-inflammatory and I believe is beneficial for the connective tissue.

Gelatin, stress, longevity

Ray Peat

raypeat.com

I hope you find this information helpful.

Great post!

 

[mostlylurking]

Great post!

thank you.

 

[mostlylurking]

I am currently taking T4 and T3, as well as progesterone.

I hope that you find a good endocrinologist to help you. Taking thyriod hormones can be very tricky. I get blood tests every 6 months to confirm my status. My endo spent 9 months optimizing my dose of thyroid medication; he wound up doubling my dose of desiccated thyroid and he also changed the brand from Armour to NP Thyroid by Acella. I had taken the Armour at the previous dose for over 10 years (different doctor) but it had stopped working spring of 2014 because the Armour company changed owners and the new owners changed the formula and ruined the product.

Taking too much thyroid med can result in hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism can block thiamine function. Blocked thiamine function and hypothyroidism share multiple symptoms, including low body temperature, lethargy, brain fog, and inflammation. The similarity of symptoms makes sense as each of these problems block oxidative metabolism. I needed a good endo to help me work out my dosage of prescription medication. Prescription medication is required by law to contain the amount of thyroid hormones that is stated it contains. No one is overseeing the amount of hormones contained (or not) in over the counter thyroid supplements, which can be problematic.

 

[Amazigh]

Thanks, but I’ve been taking it since 2010 and I don’t have any of those symptoms mentioned. Also no endo will ever put me on thyroid (especially T3) since my TSH is not out of range enough and that’s all they look at. I have thyroid resistance which is something they will never test for or treat. The thyroid I’m taking now has helped me immensely, my pulse and temps are back up, and many of my symptoms have resolved or improved— just not the tendons which is a new thing.

 

[Amazigh]

Thanks for your suggestions everyone.

Although I have a little arthritis at the base of my thumb, the soft tissue (tendons) is what is actually tender in several areas of my body and I’ve seen a bunch of material mentioning low estrogen in menopause as the cause but I don’t know if this is actually the case so I’m looking for other options.

If you come across anything else on tendons and menopause, pls let me know. In the meantime I’m gonna try the mag oil and see what happens. I’ll keep you posted.

 

[mostlylurking]

Although I have a little arthritis at the base of my thumb, the soft tissue (tendons) is what is actually tender in several areas of my body and I’ve seen a bunch of material mentioning low estrogen in menopause as the cause but I don’t know if this is actually the case so I’m looking for other options.

First comes the tenderness (inflammation), then comes the bone deterioration. The problem is inflammation. If you can resolve the inflammation the problem will resolve. Estrogen's sole purpose is to create inflammation. The estrogen industry will say anything to sell their product.

Magnesium, progesterone, pregnenolone, aspirin, thyroid, and thiamine are all helpful. Avoid polyunsaturated fats because they are estrogenic and highly inflammatory.

• Politics & Science: Progesterone Part 1
• Politics & Science: Progesterone Part 2
• Politics & Science: Progesterone Part 3

 

[Amazigh]

First comes the tenderness (inflammation), then comes the bone deterioration. The problem is inflammation. If you can resolve the inflammation the problem will resolve. Estrogen's sole purpose is to create inflammation. The estrogen industry will say anything to sell their product.

Magnesium, progesterone, pregnenolone, aspirin, thyroid, and thiamine are all helpful. Avoid polyunsaturated fats because they are estrogenic and highly inflammatory.

• Politics & Science: Progesterone Part 1
• Politics & Science: Progesterone Part 2
• Politics & Science: Progesterone Part 3

Thanks, I am taking all of these now (just started taking aspirin again) and my hands are less inflamed. I might need to tweak some of the other stuff.