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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Thyroid dysfunction can cause variety of ailments

Barbara Gerry Correspondent

If you go to the doctor because you feel lousy and you have a laundry list of seemingly unrelated symptoms – i.e., allergies, brain fog, breathing difficulties, constipation, depression, dizziness, eye problems, hair loss, high cholesterol, infections, low blood pressure, loss of libido, mood changes, muscle/joint aches/pains, puffiness/swelling, skin changes, sleep apnea/snoring, tiredness/weakness, weight gain or loss – you’ll no doubt get that indulgent look doctors save for the “hypochondriacs” who wander into their offices.

Your doctor probably will shrug his shoulders and tell you that you’re just getting old (oh, really!) or that you’re suffering from depression, stress, PMS or menopause or that it’s “all in your head.”

In return, you’ll give him your best “Yes, doctor, that’s it – I have all of those things” look.

“Help me!” you scream, silently.

He waves his wand, and lo! The catchall cure has jumped magically into your hands – a prescription for Prozac.

Prozac!

How about testing for hypothyroidism? Those symptoms are classic – right out of thyroid 101. Prozac is not going to cure this disorder. But after taking the Prozac, it’s likely you won’t give a rip anymore.

Do I dare be so jocular, so irreverent, for heaven’s sake? We’re talking about doctors – men and women in their sterile white coats, with stethoscopes around their necks and your fate in their hands. But I make no apologies.

I’m shouting a warning about this health-care travesty – hypo-thyroidism is a condition of not having enough thyroid hormone in your system, and it affects one out of eight people over 60 and one out of five over 65, mostly women.

In 1959, Dr. S.A. Jackson, a recognized authority on the thyroid gland, published a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association, declaring that low thyroid function is the most common disease seen in doctor’s offices, but it’s the diagnosis most frequently missed.

In 2000, Dr. Stephen Langer wrote “Solved: The Riddle of Illness,” an excellent book on the thyroid in which he establishes that hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroiditis are the two most common undiagnosed causes of chronic medical problems in the United States.

Furthermore, he said, “Sadly, undertreatment of diagnosed hypothyroidism and HAIT also is widespread.”

It is “incumbent for any practicing physician to perform a complete battery of thyroid tests that would include T3, T4, FTI, TSH and anti-thyroid antibodies,” he said.

And a Mayo Clinic study found, “No single test procedure will define the status of the functioning of the thyroid gland.”

Why do these glaring facts seem to elude our doctors?

All I can say is: “Duh!” I call for greater diligence from our health-care providers. They must prevent this endless suffering.

For example, difficulty swallowing is another symptom of hypothyroidism. I remember having that problem for about three years recently. I lived in terror of eating and drinking because I was so prone to choking. Is that not suffering?

Once my thyroid dose had been corrected, my swallowing problem gradually disappeared, along with my brain fog and fatigue.

Every one of our body’s trillions of cells utilizes thyroid hormone; having a normally functioning thyroid gland is the key to our body functioning at 100 percent. No wonder hypothyroidism can cause such a wide range of illnesses. Please note: Premature aging is one.

“Function” is the operative word here. Why? The thyroid gland – the body’s master gland – produces thyroid hormone. Many factors can affect how much thyroid hormone is produced and the body’s ability to fully utilize that hormone.

You must inform yourself. A great book by Mary Shomon, “Living Well With Hypothyroidism,” is a must for anyone suffering or possibly suffering from thyroid disease.

This book is highly touted by medical doctors, Elizabeth Vilet, founder and medical director of Her Place Centers in Dallas, and Dr. John C. Lowe, director of research of the Fibromyalgia Research Foundation.

Lowe believes fibromyalgia actually is untreated hypothyroidism. With every new fibromyalgia patient, Lowe becomes more convinced fibromyalgia is a manifestation of hypothyroidism.

“I’m so certain of that, I would put my neck on the chopping block,” Lowe was quoted as saying.

Depression and fatigue are the most frequent symptoms of hypothyroidism. And both of these just happen to be the most widespread health issues of our times. Researchers estimate that one fourth of the U.S. population is hypothyroid.

So, if you are feeling “lousy” and worry that you are a functioning “hypochondriac,” you actually may be hypothyroid.

I hope this article will give you the incentive and, indeed, the ammunition to demand that your health-care provider order a thorough battery of thyroid tests to determine the status of your thyroid function.

I’d like to be a mouse in the corner when you do.