Air Jordan 2k10 Optimizing Thyroid Function

Address the Underlying Cause
As with most chronic disease, thyroid dysfunction tends to be multi-factorial; very seldom is there one single initiating cause. Stress 4, aging 5, cigarette smoking 6,7,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], insulin resistance 8, genetics 9.10, nutritional deficiencie
Thyroid Hormones 101
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) measurement is the blood test most commonly used by conventional doctors to screen for thyroid dysfunction. The “normal” range varies from lab to lab; the most common ranges are 0.3 to 5.5 with some labs using the newer values of 0.3 to 3.0 established by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) in 2002 3. However, if we focus only on TSH we may be missing vital clues in the patient’s thyroid hormone function. Unfortunately, too often, if TSH measures within the “normal” range,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the patient’s complaints are dismissed and left untreated. TSH is a very poor indicator of thyroid hormone function and should never be used alone to evaluate or monitor thyroid function. Comprehensive testing that includes free levels of thyroid hormones, free thyroxine (fT4) and free triiodothyronine (fT3) to evaluate peripheral conversion problems (T4 into T3) should be performed. Anti-thyroperoxidase (TPO) antibodies should be measured to rule in/out autoimmune thyroid disease Hashimoto’s). Many patients come to me saying that their doctor said their thyroid tests were all normal; however, upon further scrutiny of their labs and with comprehensive testing I have seldom found this to be the case.
The Thyroid Foundation of American reports that about 13 million Americans have thyroid disorders, of which nearly 11 million are women and more than half are undiagnosed 1.
In his book, Thyroid Power, Dr. Richard L. Shamus concurs with the above and writes, “Although extremely common, low thyroid is an unsuspected illness. Even when suspected,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], it is frequently undiagnosed. When it is diagnosed, it often goes untreated. When it is treated, it is seldom treated optimally” 2. How true are his words. Like many of you, almost everyone who walks into my office complains of fatigue, low energy, depression, weight gain or the inability to lose unwanted weight―all symptoms of suboptimal thyroid function. Many times I have found myself scratching my head and seriously asking myself “what is going on here?” and “why is it that almost every patient I’ve seen in seven years of practice has something going on with his or her thyroid function?”
The first mistake some physicians make upon finding that their patient is hypothyroid is to immediately put them on thyroid hormone replacement therapy. Thyroid hormone, be it synthetic Synthroid (T4), or natural porcine USP Armour (T4, T3), will increase the patients’ metabolic rate and some will initially report feeling better with increases in energy and less fatigue. However, in many patients this is often a transient effect, and the benefits they initially reported may begin to fade. This most likely occurs when doctors only treat the symptoms with medication and do not address the underlying cause. I have witnessed time and time again that, when medication for hypothyroidism is the sole therapy, many patients will eventually complain that they no longer feel well. The old symptoms of hypothyroidism tend to creep back in and they feel they are back where they started, or even worse off than before they were given the medication.
When adrenal function has been weakened by chronic stress, poor diet, and environmental toxins, thyroid medication, by accelerating the metabolic rate, may further stress the system, causing the patient to feel even more fatigue and exhaustion. I believe that it is a mistake to prematurely rush in and give thyroid hormone if you find your patients are hypothyroid, as you may cause them to crash and burn. Before treating with thyroid hormone, it is absolutely necessary to get a clearer picture of your patient and ask yourself how and why your patient got here in the first place.

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