The thyroid gland produces hormones that influence essentially every organ, tissue and cell in the body. Thyroid hormones affect the body's use of vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, electrolytes, and water, and regulate the body's immune response. They can also alter the actions of other hormones and drugs. The two key thyroid hormones are levothyroxine (T4) and L-triiodothyronine (T3). Each thyroid hormone contains iodine; the "3" and the "4" refer to the number of iodine molecules in each thyroid hormone molecule. These two hormones influence the body's metabolism as well as the function of many organs.7 In short, if the thyroid doesn�t work properly, neither do you. Approximately 25 percent of women will develop permanent hypothyroidism.6 Patients with dysfunctional thyroid glands often go to their primary care physicians and describe an array of symptoms, both physical and emotional. Physicians are expected to find the root of the suffering and alleviate the symptoms with treatment. Primary care physicians, however, may neither have the time nor the expertise to deal with conditions involving a combination of physical and emotional symptoms. When patients describe symptoms such as fatigue and anger, many doctors fall back on the catch all diagnoses of stress, anxiety, and depression. Even when doctors correctly diagnose their thyroid patients, they often fail to give their patients adequate information about their condition and symptoms. Patients may continue to suffer mental anguish because physicians minimize the seriousness of the physical and mental consequences of thyroid imbalance. Because both the physical and the mental symptoms of thyroid disease masquerade as signs of many other illnesses, getting the proper diagnosis can sometimes take a long time. Often symptoms are misdiagnosed and mistreated. Until patients find the right doctor, they are left alone to deal with the devastating effects, which may include depression or even upsetting changes in personal behavior. Inexperienced or poorly trained physicians may sometimes make their patients feel crazy or hypochondriac when they report their symptoms. Thyroid imbalance can quickly escalate into a destructive brain chemistry disorder-as powerful and pervasive as major depression, an anxiety disorder, or manic-depression. Quite often, patients with thyroid disease will describe symptoms that may indicate depression but without recognizing that they are depressed. Some doctors dismiss these symptoms as unimportant. A doctor is unlikely to consider a thyroid dysfunction as a possible cause or a contributing factor to the depression. Doctors are even more likely to miss a thyroid problem and misdiagnose you if you have previously suffered from depression, panic attacks, or any other mood disorder.1 Other symptoms may also be dismissed by a family physician. If your thyroid function is normal, your body temperature should be in the range from 97.8 to 98.6.2 Under stress, the body temperature can drop and many people experience hair loss, dry skin, headaches, fatigue, irritability, depression, low sex drive, easy weight gain, insomnia, and many other complaints as the body decreases its energy expenditures on those bodily functions that aren�t strictly necessary for short-term survival. 8 The use of body temperature and clinical history has been recently criticized on the basis that some physicians believe that such methods lead to false diagnoses of hypothyroidism. However, The Barnes Basal Body Temperature Test has been an accepted method of indicating a possible hypothyroid problem listed in the Physicians Desk Reference for many years.2 Those physicians who are obsessed with laboratory test results tend to overlook the most important test, namely, how the patient actually feels. It is estimated that one third of hypothyroid patients have normal blood test results. It is the welfare of these patients which should be of grave concern to the medical profession. (Furthermore) what is not often discussed by the medical profession is the fate of those hypothyroid patients whose test results are normal. When most doctors receive a negative test result, any consideration of thyroid disease may be ruled out for years. Typically the hypothyroid patient with normal test results is forced to go from doctor to doctor, diagnosis to diagnosis, and treatment to treatment. Undoubtedly, such patients frequently fall into the hands of other specialists such as psychiatrists and are subjected to inappropriate and harmful treatments. Patients who insist that they have thyroid disease may even be humiliated and falsely labeled as hypochondriacs.8 There are many reasons why thyroid tests are a long way from perfection. The Centers for Disease Control routinely sends out specimens to 980 licensed laboratories-some 7 percent of all laboratories in the United States. Between 8 and 25 percent tests yield erroneous results, according to the American Medical News. These labs process all kinds of tests, including critical ones for thyroid function.2 The CDC published a white paper report in April 2003 estimating that there were further variations in quality in thyroid function testing due to inappropriate lab use ranging from 17 to 55 percent.4 When properly tested, blood levels do not necessarily detect defects in cellular transport and utilization, there are limitations of the sensitivity of the test, the hormonal variations, the presence of antagonistic or inhibitory chemicals and hormones, and the variations in target cell sensitivity. Finally, there exists unscientific �normal ranges� � what is normal? 8 "The prevalence of undiagnosed thyroid disease in the United States is shockingly high - particularly since it is a condition that is easy to diagnose and treat," said Hossein Gharib, MD, FACE, and president of American Academy of Clinical Endocrinologists. "The new TSH range from the AACE guidelines gives physicians the information they need to diagnose mild thyroid disease before it can lead to more serious effects on a patient's health - such as elevated cholesterol, heart disease, osteoporosis, infertility, and depression." AACE encourages doctors to consider treatment for patients who test outside the boundaries of a narrower margin based on a target TSH level of 0.3 to 3.0.6. Although thyroid treatment has been pronounced successful, the patient may not feel their old self, may have unusual flare-ups of anger, may be less socially outgoing than they used to be, may be less tolerant of the foibles of family and friends, may suffer from bouts of depression, may have frequent lapses in memory, may often be unable to concentrate on what they are doing, and may feel older than their chronological age.1 Wilson�s Syndrome may be characterized by completely normal thyroid blood test results, although there may be an increase in reverse T3 levels. The Wilson�s Syndrome patient will normally experience partial or temporary response to T4 but when the effect wears off, the dose must be continually increased in order to further boost the failing conversion of T4 to T3.6 Likewise, in many patients suffering from depression, the initial problem may be a low level or abnormal distribution of T3 in the brain even though the thyroid gland produces adequate levels of thyroid hormone. The reason for this may be a lower conversion of T4 to T3 or an inability of T3 to produce its effects on brain functions efficiently� Treatment with T3 can circumvent these delivery and conversion problems to enhance brain T3 content and thus resolve depression. To some extent, the depression caused by low serotonin or low adrenaline could be at least partly the result of low T3 levels in brain cells. In fact, brain cells work to some extent by restoring normal T3 levels in the brain. For example, the SSRI Prozac increases the conversion of T4 to T3 in brain cells to therefore ensure the availability of T3 in the brain.1 Many women who gain weight when they are hypothyroid don�t fall back to their original weight even after their thyroid condition has been corrected with hormone treatment. Physicians and others often attribute the lingering weight to a lack of effort on the patient�s part to reverse the gain. Quite frequently, however, the increased caloric intake that began during hypothyroidism persists as a result of ongoing low mood or anxiety. This in turn, causes difficulties in coping with the weight problem. The weight problem itself may contribute to perpetuating to low mood�Hypothyroidism causes people to become much less physically active, which perpetuates the weight problems. The reduced physical activity has caused the muscle mass to decrease, leaving the person with a slower metabolism than before the onset of the thyroid imbalance. When their weight gain persists after thyroid treatment, patients often feel very frustrated� (Physicians often) do not sympathize with the mind-body changes their patients have undergone.1 |
 |
| Did you know that an estimated 27 million Americans are affected by Thyroid Disease, (half undiagnosed) more than the number of Americans diagnosed with Diabetes and Cancer combined? HTTP://WWW.AACE.COM |
| Tiredness
Sleepiness Lack of Motivation Weight Gain Hair Loss Brittle Hair Thickened, Dry Skin Brittle Nails Mental Slowness Dementia Poor Memory Inability to concentrate Slow Speech |
| Cramps
Heavy Menstruation Joint Pain Hoarseness Constipation Diarrhea Cold Intolerance Recurrent Infections Red Face w/Exertion Fluid Retention Change in Appetite Difficulty Breathing Difficulty Swallowing |
| Symptoms of Thyroid Disorders: |
| Choking Sensation
Sleep Apnea Menstrual Irregularities Carpel Tunnel Syndrome Numbness Pins and Needles Insomnia Palpitations Slow Pulse Low Body Temp Anemia Tendonitis |
| Flatness of Mood
Nervousness Weakness Depression Mood Swings Mania Manic Depression Irritability Panic Attacks Anxiety ADD Changes in Vision Loss of Hearing |
| Bursitis
Hypotension Hypertension Heart Disease Elevated Cholesterol *** Fifteen to 20 percent of people with diabetes and their siblings or parents are at a greater risk of presenting with thyroid disease (compared to 4.5 percent of the general population).5 |
 |