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DANG! I GUESS I'M JUST GETTING OLD.
Are you a bit "long of tooth" and have some of the following symptoms?
Fatigue and general loss of energy
Susciptable to respiratory ilness.
Heavy laboured breathing or muscle cramps.
Persistent lower back pain
Bruise easily
Mental sluggishness
Headaches
More easily made nervous or anxious
Cold hands and feet
Loss of appetite
Reduced interest or energy for sex
Atherosclerosis (clogged arteries
Can't lose weight no matter how hard you try
Frequently the above are written off as the price of growing old. A
recent study of laboratory confirmations of hypothyroid patients was
compared with these people's original clinical examinations. Only
10% were properly diagnosed!!!
Don't be too hard on the docs as hypothyroidism is perhaps the most
pernicious "mask" for old age.
As this is written, there are several million people with this
disease and do not know it!
The following is an explanation of this small gland and how
traditional medicine will treat it.
What is Your Thyroid Gland?
Your thyroid gland is one of the endocrine glands, which make
hormones to regulate physiological functions in your body. The
thyroid gland manufactures thyroid hormone, which regulates the rate
at which your body carries on its necessary functions. Other
endocrine glands are the pancreas, the pituitary, the adrenal glands,
the parathyroid glands, the testes, and the ovaries.
The thyroid gland is located in the middle of the lower neck, below
the larynx (voice box) and just above your clavicles (collarbones).
It is shaped like a "bow tie," having two halves (lobes): a right
lobe and a left lobe joined by an "isthmus.". You can't always feel
a normal thyroid gland.
When Is a Thyroid Gland Abnormal?
Diseases of the thyroid gland are very common, affecting millions of
Americans. The most common diseases are an over- or under-active
gland. These conditions are called hyperthyroidism (e.g., Grave's
disease) and hypothyroidism. Sometimes the thyroid gland can become
enlarged from over-activity (as in Grave's disease) or from under-
activity (as in hypothyroidism). An enlarged thyroid gland is often
called a "goiter." Sometimes an inflammation of the thyroid gland
(Hashimoto's disease) will cause enlargement of the gland.
Patients may develop "lumps" or "masses" in their thyroid glands.
They may appear gradually or very rapidly. Patients who had radiation
therapy to the head or neck as children for acne, adenoids, or other
reasons are more prone to develop thyroid malignancy. A doctor should
evaluate all thyroid "lumps" (nodules).
How Does Your Doctor Make the Diagnosis?
The diagnosis of a thyroid abnormality in function or a thyroid mass
is made by taking a medical history and a physical examination.
Specifically, your doctor will examine your neck and ask you to lift
up your chin to make your thyroid gland more prominent. You may be
asked to swallow during the examination, which helps to feel the
thyroid and any mass in it. Other tests your doctor may order
include:
An ultrasound examination of your neck and thyroid
Blood tests of thyroid function
A radioactive thyroid scan
A fine needle aspiration biopsy
A chest X-ray
A CT or MRI scan
Fine Needle Aspiration
If a lump in your thyroid is diagnosed, your doctor may recommend a
fine needle aspiration biopsy. This is a safe, relatively painless
procedure. A hypodermic needle is passed into the lump, and samples
of tissues are taken. Often several passes with the needle are
required. There is little pain afterward and very few complications
from the procedure occur. This test gives the doctor more information
on the nature of the lump in your thyroid gland and specifically will
help to differentiate a benign from a malignant thyroid mass.
Treatment of Thyroid Disease
Abnormalities of thyroid function (hyper or hypothyroidism) are
usually treated medically. If there is insufficient production of
thyroid hormone, this may be given in a form of a thyroid hormone
pill taken daily. Hyperthyroidism is treated mostly by medical means,
but occasionally it may require the surgical removal of the thyroid
gland.
If there is a lump of the thyroid or a diffused enlargement (goiter),
your doctor will propose a treatment plan based on the examination
and your test results. Most thyroid "lumps" are benign. Often they
may be treated with thyroid hormone, and this is called "suppression"
therapy. The object of this treatment is to attempt shrinkage of the
mass over time, usually three-six months. If the lump continues to
grow during treatment when you are taking the medication, most
doctors will recommend removal of the affected lump.
If the fine needle aspiration is reported as suspicious for or
suggestive of cancer, then thyroid surgery is required.
What Is Thyroid Surgery?
Thyroid surgery is an operation to remove part or all of the thyroid
gland. It is performed in the hospital, and general anesthesia is
usually required. Usually the operation removes the lobe of the
thyroid gland containing the lump and possibly the isthmus. A frozen
section (an immediate microscopic reading) may or may not be used to
determine if the rest of the thyroid gland should be removed.
Sometimes, based on the result of the frozen section, the surgeon may
decide to stop and remove no more thyroid tissue, or proceed to
remove the entire thyroid gland, and/or other tissue in the neck.
This is a decision usually made in the operating room by the surgeon,
based on findings at the time of surgery. Your surgeon will discuss
these options with you preoperatively.
After surgery, you may have a drain (a tiny piece of plastic tubing),
which prevents fluid from building up in the wound. This is removed
after the fluid accumulation is minimal. Most patients are discharged
one to three days after surgery. Complications after thyroid surgery
are rare. They include bleeding, a hoarse voice, difficulty
swallowing, numbness of the skin on the neck, and low blood calcium.
Most complications go away after a few weeks. Patients who have all
of their thyroid gland removed have a higher risk of low blood
calcium post-operatively.
Patients who have thyroid surgery may be required to take thyroid
medication to replace thyroid hormones after surgery. Some patients
may need to take calcium replacement if their blood calcium is low.
This will depend on how much thyroid gland remains, and what was
found during surgery. If you have any questions about thyroid
surgery, ask your doctor and he or she will answer them in detail.
BTW, if I suspected hypothyroisism I would see an endocrinologists,
not a GP.
The best was to test for hypothyroidism is through a TSH test done in
a laboratory. There is an easy way to get an idea if you may have
hypothyroidism.
Shake down a thermometer, before retiring, and leave it on your night
table. Upon awakening, place it under your armpit for 10 minutes.
Stay in bed. Record the temperature which should be between 97.8 and
98.2 degrees. If it is lower for 2-3 consecutive days, you may have
the onset of hypothryoidism. This is not fail-safe and is useless on
the first day or two of menses.
ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES
One of the primary problems is iodine deficiency. Your thyroid cannot function without iodine. This is known as "Primary hypothyroisism". A simple folk medicine test will reveal your body's ability to absorb iodine. Dab a one inch diameter spot of iodine on your belly. If it is still there 24 hours later, your body is not absorbing iodine. This can be caused by a deficiency of vitamin A. A Danish study deprived pigs of vitamin A for two weeks. Their thyroid secretion fell by 45%.
Thyroid hormone (TH) production can be compromized by a deficiency of vitamins B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin) and B-6. Another problem with low TH is that vitamin B-12 cannot be absorbed unless one has sufficient production of TH. A severe B-12 deficiency could result in anemia (possibly fatal), mental illness, neurological disorders, neuralgia, neuritis, or bursitis--all symptoms which may be confused with the :normal" aging process. B-12 cannot be produced by your system, you must ingest in your diet or in vitamin supplements. Without adequate TH levels, your body cannot absorb this essential vitamin, no matter how much you ingest. Take 100 mg. of B-Complex with each meal.
Vitamin C and E are also essential for your TH production. 1,000-3,000 mg. of C and 400 IU of E are recommended. Do NOT save money by using synthetic E. Use only natural E. The very best uses mixed tocopherols. Yes, it is more expensive but well worth it.
Brewer's yeast is rich in B vitamins. Take as directed on the label.
Sea Kelp contains iodine, the basic substance of the thyroid hormone.
Unsaturated fatty acids are essential. The best source of these would be two or three helpings of cold water fish every week. An alternative is inexpensive fish oil from cod, herring or salmon. The best is from salmon. It contains Omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. Ninety 500 mg. softgels can be purchased for about $2.00.
The amino acid L-tyrosine is of value. Low plasma levels have been associated with a hypothyroid. 500 mg. daily is appropriate.
CoQ-10, 60 mg. daily has shown value.
Magnesium/potassium/bromelain caps as well as 50 mg. of zinc daily.
Take a brisk 1/2 hour walk daily.
Vitamin deficiencies are not the only problem with TH production. Here are some other common causes:
flouride in water or toothpaste
barbiturates
prednisone
supplemental estrogen as found in birth control pills
some cough medicines
lithium
oil of wintergreen as found in rubbing liniments
cigarette smoke, primary or secondary
Even if your TH production has been good for years, circumstances associated with aging may lead you to take medications that create thyroid problems, or exacerbate an existing problem into a major deficience. Unless you, or your physician identify this as an easily correctable thyroid condition, you are both likely to mistake it for normal "aging". Determining the proper TH level for your system can actually determine how long--and how well--you live.
