Ghost of Wingpointe 👽

The thyroid exerts a huge influence on blood pressure—even in people with “normal” blood tests. People with TSH in the upper part of the normal range are 30% more likely to have high blood pressure. “High serum TSH level is an important risk factor of hypertension, and euthyroid individuals with higher-normal TSH level are at higher risk of developing hypertension than those with lower-normal TSH level.“ Thyroid hormone, even levothyroxine, lowers blood pressure. “Although the mechanism is unclear, thyroid replacement therapy can reverse hypertension in hypothyroid patients.” When people are injected with TSH, endothelium-dependent vasodilation drops by 17%. That causes higher blood pressure by making blood vessels less able to relax and widen. When arteries stay more constricted, blood has to push through a narrower space, so resistance rises and blood pressure goes up. Older research showed a huge effect of NDT on high blood pressure. NDT is a thyroid hormone medication with both thyroid hormones. Having both is critical for the best outcome. 20% went from high to normal blood pressure. 55% had a reduction in blood pressure. 25% did not improve. Broda Barnes reported that many patients treated with NDT had their high blood pressure improve. “I saw her in December 1958-with a blood pressure of 200/130 and full-blown myxedema. She was started on one grain of thyroid daily and over the next several weeks, her blood pressure began to come down a little. Three months later, she was taking two grains of thyroid daily and her blood pressure was down to near-normal level. Her thyroid dosage was then raised to three grains. Her blood pressure became normal and she went to work to help out with her family's strained finances. She continued to work for the next six years. A move to another city occasioned a change in physicians and the new one stopped the thyroid medication and placed her on diuretics and tranquilizers. When I saw her in my office again in December 1971, six years after her last visit, her blood pressure was again way up, 200/130. Her cholesterol level which had been 207 on thyroid therapy was up to 356. During the six years, she had developed arthritis which had become so severe that she had become addicted to pain pills.” Note: as with every condition, there is more than one cause of high blood pressure! Ref: Dose-response relationship between thyroid stimulating hormone and hypertension risk in euthyroid individuals Plasma noradrenaline and blood pressure in hypothyroid patients: effect of gradual thyroxine treatment Recombinant Human Thyrotropin Reduces Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in Patients Monitored for Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma The Thyroid and Atherosclerotic Arterial Disease: PERICLES MENOF Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness

61% of astronauts on ISS missions reactivate dormant viruses while in outer space (e.g. EBV, VZV, CMV) -- and the full immune cascade driving this still isn't fully understood What's exciting is the Artemis II crew is now flying with personalized organ chips built from their own bone marrow cells, which could finally help us understand how and why these viruses get reactivated at the cellular level I post a lot about immune function and mitochondrial health -- and I believe the viral reactivation in this case is directly related to something going wrong with the body's energy systems, specifically to the mitochondria Microgravity triggers oxidative stress, damages mitochondrial function, and suppresses immune cells. The NK cells and T-cells that normally keep viruses in check essentially shut down What makes this interesting beyond space is that a similar pattern shows up in ME/CFS, Lyme, and long COVID patients Same thing here, mitochondrial dysfunction, immune suppression, and dormant viruses wake back up because the body's ability to keep them suppressed breaks down Maybe with this chip we'll be able to pinpoint the exact moment the body's defenses goes haywire, or maybe we'll find a better biomarker which can point a specific mechanism causing the immune dysfunction Two NASA-funded health studies I'm tracking (highlighted in yellow) - Blaber Lab (mitochondrial dysfunction in spaceflight) - Dr. Iyer (mitochondrial oxidative stress) Both seem like they're building toward the same question from different angles

One of the most astonishing claims I’ve heard from an economist. Werner says the QE to bail out banks in the GFC was “paid for” by the Federal Reserve and this makes it “fair” and it “tackles the moral hazard problem.” Central bank heads themselves don’t even claim this.