>I found Dr. Rueda's comment about estrogen sensitizing the thyroid very
>interesting. Although I had only been on synthroid (.125) daily for one
>year, I had no problems ( this was prescribed for a goiter). Only when I
>started taking estrogen replacement for hot flashes did I immediately
>develop a collagen-vascular disease, relapsing polychondritis, which I
>still have. Linda
1) levothyroxine 2) estrogen 3) polychondritis,,, two "natural" substances
in the human body, T4 and estrogens,,,, and a tissue, the cartilage:
polychondritis means multiple  inflamed cartilages. Polychondritis is an
autoimmune illness, your own immune system that may defend you against any
agressor, attacks yourselves in a wrong way,,,, appearing auto-antibodies
against your cartilage = polychondritis.
 
Levothyroxine and estrogen activate independently the immune system. Both
simultaneously can have synergestic effects, synergestic means that 1+1 not
equal 2, equal 4 or 6 or 8.
Hyperactivated immune system can attacks yourselves, always with other
simultaneous circunstances as inherited sensitivity.
 Francisco L. Rueda, MD