When a person loses a majority of the
function of the thyroid gland, especially if
it occurs rapidly, some obvious and
immediate symptoms develop:
- Sudden unexplained weight gain or
great difficulty losing fat
- Severe fatigue and frequent
exhaustion
- Depression and gloominess
- Frequent constipation
- Menstrual irregularities —
especially heavy bleeding with periods
- Dry, coarse skin that is pale and
itchy.
- Puffiness of the face, especially in
postmenopausal women
- Dry, coarse, thinning hair (also
losing the outer third of your eyebrows)
- Intolerance to cold
-
These are symptoms of fully blown
hypothyroidism but, increasingly, the
medical profession is recognizing that many
people have lesser degrees of thyroid
hormone deficiency, called subclinical
hypothyroidism.
These patients can have much more subtle
symptoms and, frighteningly, mostly normal
test results.
My wife and I have noticed, for instance,
that there seems to be a greater number of
middle-aged and older women with thinning
hair than in the past. I wonder if that’s a
sign that widespread fluoridation of
drinking water is suppressing the function
of thyroid hormone.
The standard measure for diagnosing the
lesser, “subclinical” form of hypothyroidism
is having a TSH level higher than 4
milliunits per liter (mU/ L) in the presence
of a normal free T4 level.
The subclinical signs of hypothyroidism
include the following:
- Muscle spasms and fatigue
- Hair loss (thinning of the hair),
especially in women
- Elevated cholesterol, triglycerides
and Lp(a) levels
- Weight gain
- Depression
Once upon a time, people measured the
condition by simply taking their temperature
upon waking. A low body temperature, at or
below 95 degrees Fahrenheit, indicates low
metabolism. There is still a convincing
argument for this method. The problem, of
course, is understanding exactly why. Low
metabolism could result from aging
mitochondria, which are the cell’s power
plants, or more simply a lack of regular
exercise or a chronic illness. Of course,
some of these are secondary to low thyroid
function as well.
What I find distressing, as do many
patients, is that doctors are so obsessed
with lab results that they will let a
patient continue in a state of misery rather
than defy the lab studies. For example,
suppose a patient takes a natural thyroid
drug and finds that she feels more
energetic, her skin is no longer dry and
itchy, and she has a much better overall
sense of wellbeing, yet no signs of too much
thyroid hormone exist (like jitteriness,
rapid heart beat, or arrhythmias).
Why would a doctor deny her a
prescription? Because that’s how doctors are
trained. It has been hammered in their heads
that sticking to specific lab results is
proper procedure. Doctors, in all too many
cases, have lost the capacity to think and
reason.
For more information on hypothyroidism
and how it could be making you feel old and
sick before you time, read my special report
"Are You Suffering from Hyperthyroidism and
Don’t Know It." Read our e-book.
It seems like nearly every week, you read
stories in the popular press that a
particular vitamin demonstrates no effect on
the prevention of a certain disease.
Even worse, news stories inundate you
with the "dangers" of taking nutritional
supplements. Recent headlines screamed a
warning that beta-carotene increases your
risk of lung cancer. One headline linked
vitamin E to increased deaths in elderly
heart patients. Another says that even good
old vitamin A can be downright dangerous.
Who are you supposed to believe? And what
healthy alternatives do you have?
Especially when prescription — and even
non-prescription — medication carries so
much extra baggage in the form of dangerous
side effects. Not to mention the fact that
these drugs really don't address the cause
of your problems, just the symptoms...