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Hypothyroidism Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped bi-lobed gland located at the base of your neck, just below your Adam's apple. Every single aspect of your metabolism, from the rate at which your heart beats to how quickly you burn calories, are precisely regulated by thyroid hormones.
As long as your thyroid releases the right amounts of these hormones at the right time, your system functions normally and like clockwork. But sometimes your thyroid doesn't produce enough hormones, or produces far too much of one hormone, upsetting this precision and resulting in an imbalance in your body. This condition is known as hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is a common, treatable disorder that currently is poorly managed by Western medicine with the current drug-based approach. Over the many years of practice, I have seen many hundreds of patients exhibiting many of the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism, yet come back completely normal on the blood-tests and they are deemed "euthyroid" (or "well" thyroid). As long as the tests are normal, everything must be ok. But what about a lump in the neck and the blood tests show everything is ok? Then the patient must be imagining that it could be a thyroid problem.
Dr. John Lee - Thyroid Expert
A most informative seminar was held in Auckland in 2004 by Dr John Lee, leading thyroid expert from Australia. Dr Lee practices in Brisbane and specialises in thyroid conditions. He helps patients in his clinic with hormonal imbalances with natural hormone therapies.
The seminar was well attended with a mixture of general medical practitioners as well as natural medicine practitioners. I hope you find this article of relevance, it may help you determine if you have a potential thyroid complaint which needs further investigation and possible treatment. Don't give up, many patients who have seen me over the years with thyroid issues were at the point of giving up, they couldn't find any answers to their many and varied health problems. I have used many different types of therapy for hypothyroid patients over the years, including various minerals, vitamins, herbal medicines and glandular extracts. When I practiced with medical doctors for several years I also recommended whole thyroid (dessicated thyroid gland, porcine), T3 and combinations of T3 and T4 (Thyroxine).
Are Hypothyroid Patients Actually Adrenally Fatigued?
I have found it generally always best to first make sure the patient is not adrenally fatigued before I start to treat for hypothyroidism, unless the patient has an obvious (sometimes not so obvious!) iodine, selenium, zinc or other deficiency. The reason being is that many practitioners will mistakingly treat the patient for a hypo functioning thyroid, when in fact the adrenal glands are not functioning that well. Besides, the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue are very similar. You may find this article of great help to determine whether you are hypothyroid OR adrenally fatigued.
In New Zealand, zinc, selenium and iodine deficiencies are common indeed. At times I have seen "miracles" occur with patients when all they did was take some iodine or selenium into their diets. Unfortunately, not all cases are that simple and for this reason I recommend that if you suspect an adrenal or thyroid problem - that you approach a health -care professional for proper assessment and treatment. Try Thyro-max, one of New Zealand's leading products designed for those with hypothyroidism. Hypothyroid Prevalence
Many people, mainly women older than age 40, have an under-active thyroid. Men can also get hypothyroidism. Because hypothyroidism usually develops slowly, only about half of all cases are diagnosed early.
Most sub-clinical cases of hypothyroidism go undiagnosed. When blood levels of thyroid hormones are found to be normal, the patient is deemed to be “euthyroid”, or having a normal functioning thyroid (inspite of having signs & symptoms). Hypothyroidism is believed to be more prevalent than once thought, with up to 1 in 10 of the population is believed to be affected by some degree of hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroid Signs and Symptoms
At first, you may have few noticeable symptoms, or you may just feel tired and sluggish. The signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism vary widely, depending on the severity of the hormone deficiency. Be careful before self-diagnosing: The below mentioned signs and symptoms can also be attributed to many other illnesses. Many people falsely attributing their weight gain to an underactive thyroid, when in fact it may be simply that they never exercise!
the most common
hoarse
can be gritty, burning, itchy, blurry, puffy eyelids.
can become dry, cold, rough and scaly.
none or poor.
unexplained high or resistant levels.
in various places, itchy patches.
becomes coarse, brittle and grows slowly or may fall out excessively.
losing outer 1/3 of eyebrow
feelings of being chilly in rooms of normal temperature.
their perspiration may be decreased or even absent even during heavy exercise and hot weather.
that is resistant to magnesium supplementation and other mild laxatives is also another common symptom.
despite rigid adherence to a strict diet seems to be a common finding especially in women.
TSH: The BIG Myth
An interesting point which Dr Lee made was the inaccuracy of the current way of blood- testing patients to determine whether somebody is hypothyroid. So, when a doctor checks your blood for three thyroid hormone markers, they are basing this generally on the reading of the hormone called TSH (thyroid stimulating level). These tests should be abandoned because they are unreliable as gauges of thyroid function. We should be favouring the temperature test instead, according to Dr. Lee. The most common traditional way to diagnose hypothyroidism is with a TSH that is elevated beyond the normal reference range. The big myth that persists regarding thyroid diagnosis is that an elevated TSH level is required before a diagnosis of hypothyroidism can be made. There is no question that this will diagnose hypothyroidism, but it is far too insensitive a measure, and the vast majority of patients who have hypothyroidism, particularly those patients who are classified as sub-clinical, will be missed. Clinical studies have demonstrated that treatment of hypothyroidism with combination thyroid hormone (T4, T3) therapy is more effective than treatment with Thyroxine (T4) alone.
What you can do
There is one simple thing almost anyone can do at home to uncover an under- functional thyroid: take your own temperature. The "basal body temperature" test was developed by Dr Broda Barnes, PhD, a physician who, for decades, helped raise the consciousness of both doctors and their patients regarding the risks and prevalence of hypothyroidism and weak thyroid function. His book 3 still remains as the best clinical description of the syndrome.
Because thyroid hormone is so vital to cellular metabolism, reduced thyroid function manifests as a drop in body temperature to below the normal level of 36.7 C (98.6F). Thyro-max is a product designed for optimal thyroid function. If you have a low functioning thyroid then I'd highly recommend you try this formulation. It is very reasonably priced and works very well. The Barnes Basal Temperature Test
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