Secondary HyperParaThyroidism – Doing Their Job

Secondary HyperParaThyroidism is the result of the ParaThyroid glands doing their job.  Their job is to keep the calcium in the blood “just right”.  Too often this requires stealing calcium from the bones.  This is necessary to make up for not absorbing enough calcium every day.  But stealing too much Calcium from bones can cause Fractures.

Most of us need 1200 mg calcium in 3 doses spread across every day.  Older individuals absorb less well and can require 1500 mg.  We also need high enough Vitamin D levels to absorb the calcium.  This usually means 1000 to 5000 units of Vit D3 daily.  Many of us fail to absorb enough calcium daily.  We need Secondary HyperParaThyroidism to keep our blood calcium high enough.

Treatment is straightforward.  Absorb enough calcium!  That means a high enough Vitamin D level to absorb calcium easily.  That means enough Calcium spread across three meals to overcome any malabsorption issues (GERD, Celiac, Lactose Intolerance, IBS, etc) you may have.  A Multiple Vitamins & Minerals supplement daily usually has enough Magnesium to allow proper calcium absorption.

I aim for a 25-hydroxy Vitamin D level of 40-80 ng/ml.  I recommend 1200-1500 mg calcium.  Usually we can “cure” Secondary HyperParaThyroidism in 1 to 2 months.  Of course you need to maintain proper intakes to preserve the “cure”.  Correcting the calcium content of bones (BMD) after long term Secondary HyperParaThyroidism takes years, but can be done.

If PTH does not correct by 2 to 3 months, we may be dealing with Tertiary HyperParaThyroidism.

Your Bone Health is up to you.  Get a Complete Bone Health Evaluation.  Then, Take Control Naturally by treating Secondary HyperParaThyroidism.

Jay Ginther, MD

Categorised in: Osteoporosis