What You Don’t Know About Thyroid Disorders Could Kill You

Four years ago Karly couldn’t understand why she was gaining so much weight. Most days she told her husband that she felt like she was getting a cold or the flu. Then her hair started falling out. Her symptoms suggested she consider  thyroid disorders.

Medical doctors told her nothing was wrong that it was stress. They tested her thyroid telling her is was slightly low but nothing to worry about. She tried another doctor who looked at the results and again told her to go home; new moms often had trouble losing weight.

This was her second child; she went to yet another specialist who told her that worry was causing her hair to fall out.

Thyroid disorders aren’t specific to women. Many suffer from mild to severe conditions that are entirely missed or misdiagnosed.

The American Thyroid Association (ATA) states that “women are five to eight times more likely than men to have thyroid problems and one woman in eight will develop a thyroid disorder during her lifetime. Undiagnosed thyroid disease may put patients at risk for certain serious conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, and infertility.”

The association goes on to say, “Pregnant women with undiagnosed or inadequately treated hypothyroidism have an increased risk of miscarriage, preterm delivery, and severe developmental problems in their children. Most thyroid diseases are life-long conditions that can be managed with medical attention.”

Don’t take chances always make sure your thyroid is always healthy [menopausal women read more here]; it’s too important to your future.

At 44, Karly said she had trouble with energy and she felt depressed now; was she really just not coping with being a mom of two?

Sometimes mothers are discounted as just being overwhelmed and at other times are given thyroid medication when it’s not their health problem.

It’s important to have a complete Thyroid panel that includes Reverse T3 too. It’s good to test cortisol, and other hormones at the same time. A final recommendation is to test micronutrients as well.

Recently I had a patient who had a low thyroid result on her test. Her Zinc was also deficient and her vitamin A low. Both of these affect the TSH and function of the thyroid. Her medical doctor wanted to place her on a standard prescription for the Thyroid. Instead, she retested with our office including micronutrients. She chose to try natural medicine instead of prescriptions and began feeling better. We retested everything in four months and her thyroid levels had almost normalized. After a year, she was normal and feeling happy and healthy.

Thyroid problems are real, though. Karly’s ‘slightly low’ thyroid was ignored for nearly four years turned out to be much more when we looked at her T3 and other hormone levels. She is slowly feeling better, losing weight, and her depression has lifted.

Her TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) levels were very low while her other thyroid hormone levels (serum thyroxine, or T4, and triiodothyronine, or T3) were way up.

A medical doctor would diagnose this as hyperthyroidism, a thyroid disorder. According to the National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information Service, it affects 1 in 100 Americans. Remember WE DO NOT DIAGNOSIS at our office.

A small gland the thyroid is found at the base of the neck it secretes the hormone, Thyroxine. Like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone it affects our wellbeing.

Your body temperature is regulated by this gland and it keeps your brain clear and your heart pumping in rhythm.

These are the two most common thyroid health problems, Hypothyroidism, and hyperthyroidism. Hypothyroidism causes a slowing of body functions. Cardiovascular issues like high cholesterol or other heart disease are complications; this is why it’s important to treat an imbalance.

Women And Thyroid Disorders

• Typical symptoms of hypothyroidism often are:
• Weight gain
• Dry or brittle hair
• Memory problems
• Irritability and depression
• Higher cholesterol levels
• Fatigue
• Cold intolerance
• Slower heart rate
• Constipation, or sluggish bowel

The Differences Between Hypothyroidism And Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism, on the other hand, means the thyroid secretes too many hormones. The body systems will speed up.

These are the symptoms of hyperthyroidism:

• Thyroid gland enlargement
• Sleep disturbances
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Heat intolerance
• Frequent bowel movements
• Tremors
• Nervousness and irritability

Recently the National American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommended narrowing the definition of “normal” TSH to between 0.3 and 3.0. The association also suggested checking other thyroid readings and other hormones.

Women suffer from thyroid related issues more often than men. Most health problems begin in the early thirties. If you have any of these symptoms, know that health insurance often covers these lab tests in our office.

• Family history plays a part too. These are risk factors:
• A history of radiation treatment to the thyroid area
• A family history of thyroid disorder
• Diabetes or another autoimmune disorder
• Hormonal changes, such as those that occur during pregnancy or menopause
• Gender: Women constitute 80 percent of all thyroid cases.
• Age: Incidence of hypothyroidism is higher in menopausal women than in very young women.

 Our office does not diagnose illness though we can help you with the proper natural medicine and Chinese Medicine to treat these problems and more. As a specialist in women’s health, our priority is you.

Schedule your appointment with Dr. Deb today!

 

Resources: http://www.thyroid.org/media-main/about-hypothyroidism/

Image coypyrights: Fotolia, BigStock