KP Wellness
11:13 AM (edited) - Public
Both excess and deficiency of thyroxine can cause disorders.
Hyperthyroidism (an example is Graves Disease) is the clinical syndrome caused by an excess of circulating free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, or both. It is a common disorder that affects approximately 2% of women and 0.2% of men. Thyrotoxicosis is often used interchangeably with hyperthyroidism, but there are subtle differences. Although thyrotoxicosis also refers to an increase in circulating thyroid hormones, it can be caused by the intake of thyroxine tablets or by an over-active thyroid, whereas hyperthyroidism refers solely to an over-active thyroid.
Hypothyroidism (an example is Hashimoto's thyroiditis) is the case where there is a deficiency of thyroxine, triiodiothyronine, or both.
Clinical depression can sometimes be caused by hypothyroidism. Some research has shown that T3 is found in the junctions of synapses, and regulates the amounts and activity of serotonin, norepinephrine, and Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain.
Preterm births can suffer neurodevelopmental disorders due to lack of maternal thyroid hormones, at a time when their own thyroid is unable to meet their postnatal needs.
Hyperthyroidism (an example is Graves Disease) is the clinical syndrome caused by an excess of circulating free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, or both. It is a common disorder that affects approximately 2% of women and 0.2% of men. Thyrotoxicosis is often used interchangeably with hyperthyroidism, but there are subtle differences. Although thyrotoxicosis also refers to an increase in circulating thyroid hormones, it can be caused by the intake of thyroxine tablets or by an over-active thyroid, whereas hyperthyroidism refers solely to an over-active thyroid.
Hypothyroidism (an example is Hashimoto's thyroiditis) is the case where there is a deficiency of thyroxine, triiodiothyronine, or both.
Clinical depression can sometimes be caused by hypothyroidism. Some research has shown that T3 is found in the junctions of synapses, and regulates the amounts and activity of serotonin, norepinephrine, and Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain.
Preterm births can suffer neurodevelopmental disorders due to lack of maternal thyroid hormones, at a time when their own thyroid is unable to meet their postnatal needs.
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KP Wellness
11:10 AM - Public
When the thyroid isn’t functioning correctly…
Thyroid Cancer –
Goiters –
Thyroiditis –
Hypothyroidism or Thyroid gland failure –
Hyperthyroidism or an over active thyroid –
http://kirklandhealthinstitute.com/thyroid-problems/
Thyroid Cancer –
Goiters –
Thyroiditis –
Hypothyroidism or Thyroid gland failure –
Hyperthyroidism or an over active thyroid –
http://kirklandhealthinstitute.com/thyroid-problems/
KP Wellness
11:08 AM (edited) - Public
There are many different causes of thyroid disease, though the conditions that cause hypothyroidism include-
1- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which is a painless disease of the immune system that is hereditary. In this autoimmune disorder, the body attacks the thyroid tissues that eventually die and stop producing hormones.
2- Exposure to excessive amounts of iodine due to cold and sinus medicines, certain contrast dyes given prior to some X-rays, or the heart medicines amiodarone.
3- Removal of the thyroid gland due to surgery or chemically destroyed as treatment for hyperthyroidism.
4- Lithium is a drug that has also been linked as a cause of hypothyroidism.
5- Postpartum thyroiditis, which is the inflammation of the thyroid gland after pregnancy.
6- Others like acute and silent thyroiditis, and thyroid hormone resistance.
The conditions that cause hyperthyroidism include-
1- Graves’ disease, which is the production of too much thyroid hormone.
2- Subacute thyroiditis, which is the inflammation of the thyroid causing the glands to secrete excess hormone. This results in temporary hyperthyroidism that normally lasts a few weeks, but may continue for months.
3- Toxic adenomas- Thyroid hormones may be secreted due to nodules that develop in the thyroid gland, which upset the body’s chemical balance. Some goiters may contain several of such nodules.
4-Pituitary gland malfunctions or cancerous growth in the thyroid gland that are rare, but hyperthyroidism can also develop these causes.
5- Others include excessive intake of iodine, hashitoxicosis, and ingesting thyroid hormone (medications).
1- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which is a painless disease of the immune system that is hereditary. In this autoimmune disorder, the body attacks the thyroid tissues that eventually die and stop producing hormones.
2- Exposure to excessive amounts of iodine due to cold and sinus medicines, certain contrast dyes given prior to some X-rays, or the heart medicines amiodarone.
3- Removal of the thyroid gland due to surgery or chemically destroyed as treatment for hyperthyroidism.
4- Lithium is a drug that has also been linked as a cause of hypothyroidism.
5- Postpartum thyroiditis, which is the inflammation of the thyroid gland after pregnancy.
6- Others like acute and silent thyroiditis, and thyroid hormone resistance.
The conditions that cause hyperthyroidism include-
1- Graves’ disease, which is the production of too much thyroid hormone.
2- Subacute thyroiditis, which is the inflammation of the thyroid causing the glands to secrete excess hormone. This results in temporary hyperthyroidism that normally lasts a few weeks, but may continue for months.
3- Toxic adenomas- Thyroid hormones may be secreted due to nodules that develop in the thyroid gland, which upset the body’s chemical balance. Some goiters may contain several of such nodules.
4-Pituitary gland malfunctions or cancerous growth in the thyroid gland that are rare, but hyperthyroidism can also develop these causes.
5- Others include excessive intake of iodine, hashitoxicosis, and ingesting thyroid hormone (medications).
New magazine post about thyroid disease.
Did you know that thyroid disorders can range from a harmless, small goiter that hardly needs treatment, to life-threatening cancer?
The most common thyroid diseases involve the abnormal production of thyroid hormones. Hyperthyroidism occurs when there is too much production of thyroid hormone, whereas hypothyroidism results due to insufficient hormone production. Millions of Americans have some form of thyroid disease, though women are five to eight times more likely than men to have thyroid problems.
Read further....
Did you know that thyroid disorders can range from a harmless, small goiter that hardly needs treatment, to life-threatening cancer?
The most common thyroid diseases involve the abnormal production of thyroid hormones. Hyperthyroidism occurs when there is too much production of thyroid hormone, whereas hypothyroidism results due to insufficient hormone production. Millions of Americans have some form of thyroid disease, though women are five to eight times more likely than men to have thyroid problems.
Read further....
KP Wellness
11:05 AM (edited) - Public
Thyroid disease predisposes you to many degenerative diseases, including obesity, heart attack, depression, seizures, dementia, mood changes, psychosis and symptoms associated with menopause.
At least 80 percent of the time, thyroid hormone does nothing to relieve your symptoms. If it is auto-immune related, this will not respond to thyroid hormone.
Another problem may not be the thyroid's fault. If your liver is not functioning optimally, it may not be converting T4 thyroid hormone into its active form, T3. Even replacement thyroid hormone needs this conversion for it to become active.
Iodine deficiency is the cause of 20 percent of hypothyroid cases, and is linked to cancers of the stomach, breast, ovaries, uterus and prostate.
The most common causes of auto-immunity are toxins. They trigger a gene that sparks your immune system to attack the thyroid gland and cells of the body that receive thyroid hormone.
At least 80 percent of the time, thyroid hormone does nothing to relieve your symptoms. If it is auto-immune related, this will not respond to thyroid hormone.
Another problem may not be the thyroid's fault. If your liver is not functioning optimally, it may not be converting T4 thyroid hormone into its active form, T3. Even replacement thyroid hormone needs this conversion for it to become active.
Iodine deficiency is the cause of 20 percent of hypothyroid cases, and is linked to cancers of the stomach, breast, ovaries, uterus and prostate.
The most common causes of auto-immunity are toxins. They trigger a gene that sparks your immune system to attack the thyroid gland and cells of the body that receive thyroid hormone.
From the web
The standard treatment is to take thyroid hormone. The sad part is most people still have symptoms. Thyroid hormone replacement may not be the only answer. At least 80 percent of the time, thyroid hormone does nothing to ... If it is auto-immune related, this will not respond to thyroid hormone.
KP Wellness
11:01 AM - Public
Selenium is an essential trace mineral required for the human body in small amounts for boosting immunity against diseases as well as protecting it from oxidative free radicals.
Selenium (Se) deficiency has direct effect on the thyroid gland which are regulators of body's metabolism, growth and function.
The proper utilization of thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) and the conversion of T4 to active T3 is mediated and influenced by the quantities of selenium available in the body. For more information visit http://health-care-you.blogspot.com/2010/10/selenium-thyroid-hormone-function.html
Selenium (Se) deficiency has direct effect on the thyroid gland which are regulators of body's metabolism, growth and function.
The proper utilization of thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) and the conversion of T4 to active T3 is mediated and influenced by the quantities of selenium available in the body. For more information visit http://health-care-you.blogspot.com/2010/10/selenium-thyroid-hormone-function.html
KP Wellness
11:00 AM - Public
Gluten sensitivity linked with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism
This is yet another study that demonstrates the clinical association between gluten sensitivity and Hashimoto's hypothyroidism. It is very rare to find a person with Hashimoto's who does not have some degree of gluten sensitivity or full-blown celiac disease.
This is yet another study that demonstrates the clinical association between gluten sensitivity and Hashimoto's hypothyroidism. It is very rare to find a person with Hashimoto's who does not have some degree of gluten sensitivity or full-blown celiac disease.
KP Wellness
11:36 AM - Public
Let's Talk Thyroid
The chart you see is from Henry Harrower, M.D. one of the fathers of functional endocrinology (back when doctors studied function first not removal). Three things to make you think if your thyroid starts talking to you:
1. The endocrine (hormone producing) system is a closed system. It is not a bunch of separate parts that somehow break. Every area pushes and pulls on other areas. So a diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction alwaysmeans that something else is happening; perhaps the cause of the thyroid trouble is not even in the thyroid.
2. The endocrine system works on "negative feedback." This means if you mess with it, the hypothalamus (the captain you could say) adjusts the rest of the system to accommodate (means you can't mess with it without consequence). When a bodybuilder, for example, injects testosterone the body senses the increase of testosterone and then shuts down the testicles to adjust. Their testicles literally shrink. This also means that if you take thyroid hormone, you will force your thyroid into further shutdown....and whatever was causing the problem was still not fixed. You will never get off that medicine because it worsens the problem instead of restoring function.
3. The two big bullies for the thyroid are liver and sugar handling. I've been treating thyroid cases for years and most of the time start with these two areas. 90% of the time the thyroid balances out on its own!! (I monitor blood and hormone tests to make sure - but ultimately the symptoms go away which is the best indicator for the patient)
#thyroid #nutrition #hormones #holistic
The chart you see is from Henry Harrower, M.D. one of the fathers of functional endocrinology (back when doctors studied function first not removal). Three things to make you think if your thyroid starts talking to you:
1. The endocrine (hormone producing) system is a closed system. It is not a bunch of separate parts that somehow break. Every area pushes and pulls on other areas. So a diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction alwaysmeans that something else is happening; perhaps the cause of the thyroid trouble is not even in the thyroid.
2. The endocrine system works on "negative feedback." This means if you mess with it, the hypothalamus (the captain you could say) adjusts the rest of the system to accommodate (means you can't mess with it without consequence). When a bodybuilder, for example, injects testosterone the body senses the increase of testosterone and then shuts down the testicles to adjust. Their testicles literally shrink. This also means that if you take thyroid hormone, you will force your thyroid into further shutdown....and whatever was causing the problem was still not fixed. You will never get off that medicine because it worsens the problem instead of restoring function.
3. The two big bullies for the thyroid are liver and sugar handling. I've been treating thyroid cases for years and most of the time start with these two areas. 90% of the time the thyroid balances out on its own!! (I monitor blood and hormone tests to make sure - but ultimately the symptoms go away which is the best indicator for the patient)
#thyroid #nutrition #hormones #holistic
KP Wellness
11:24 AM - Public
Factors that adversely affect conversion of T4 into T3 include: nutritional deficiencies such as selenium, zinc, iodine, VIt B6, B12 and E, antibody reactions, insulin resistance, toxicities such as heavy metals and environmental toxins.
Looking for information on how to treat hormone imbalances with bioidentical hormones?
http://www.custommedicine.com.au/womens-health/
http://www.custommedicine.com.au/womens-health/
KP Wellness
11:13 AM - Public
For Some, Psychiatric Trouble May Start in Thyroid
In patients with depression, anxiety and other psychiatric problems, doctors often find abnormal blood levels of thyroid hormone. Treating the problem, they have found, can lead to improvements in mood, memory and cognition.
Now researchers are exploring a somewhat controversial link between minor, or subclinical, thyroid problems and some patients’ psychiatric difficulties. After reviewing the literature on subclinical hypothyroidism and mood, Dr. Russell Joffe, a psychiatrist at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, and colleagues recently concluded that treating the condition, which affects about 2 percent of Americans, could alleviate some patients’ psychiatric symptoms and might even prevent future cognitive decline.
Patients with psychiatric symptoms, Dr. Joffe said, “tell us that given thyroid hormones, they get better.”
The thyroid, a bow-tie-shaped gland that wraps around the trachea, produces two hormones: thyroxine, or T4, and triiodothyronine, known as T3. These hormones play a role in a surprising range of physical processes, from regulation of body temperature and heartbeat to cognitive functioning.
Any number of things can cause the thyroid to malfunction, including exposure to radiation, too much or too little iodine in the diet, medications like lithium, and autoimmune disease. And the incidence of thyroid disease rises with age. Too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) speeds the metabolism, causing symptoms like sweating, palpitations, weight loss and anxiety. Too little (hypothyroidism) can cause physical fatigue, weight gain and sluggishness, as well as depression, inability to concentrate and memory problems.
“In the early 20th century, the best descriptions of clinical depression were actually in textbooks on thyroid disease, not psychiatric textbooks,” Dr. Joffe said.
But doctors have long disagreed about the nature of links between psychiatric symptoms and thyroid problems.
“It’s the chicken-and-egg question,” said Jennifer Davis, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University. “Is there an underlying thyroid problem that causes psychiatric symptoms, or is it the other way around?”
Dr. Davis said it is common for people with thyroid problems to be given a misdiagnosis of psychiatric illness.
Leah Christian, 29, tried antidepressants 10 years ago for depression and anxiety. They did not help. “I just stayed down,” said Ms. Christian, a child care worker in San Francisco.
A few years ago, still struggling, she asked her doctor to refer her to a therapist. The doctor ran a thyroid panel first and found that Ms. Christian had an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a common cause of hypothyroidism.
Ms. Christian was given levothyroxine, a synthetic thyroid hormone replacement. Her depression and anxiety disappeared, she said: “Turns out, all my symptoms were thyroid-related.”
In a sense, she was lucky; her hormone levels were clearly in the abnormal range. “Normal” levels of thyroid stimulating hormone, or TSH, range from 0.4 to 5. (The higher the TSH level, the less active the thyroid.) Most endocrinologists agree that a score of 10 or over requires treatment for hypothyroidism.
But for people with scores between, say, 4 and 10, things get murkier, especially for those who experience such vague psychiatric symptoms as fatigue, mild depression or just not feeling like themselves.
Some doctors believe these patients should be treated. “If somebody has a mood disorder and subclinical hypothyroidism, that could be significant,” said Dr. Thomas Geracioti, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Dr. Geracioti has used thyroid hormones to treat performers with debilitating stage fright; one high-level musician recovered completely, he said.
The idea of treating subclinical hypothyroidism is controversial, especially among endocrinologists. Thyroid hormone treatment can strain the heart and may aggravate osteoporosis in women, noted Dr. Joffe. On the other hand, failing to treat the condition can also stress the heart, and some studies suggest it may increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
And then there is the misery quotient, which is hard to quantify. “People tend to discount the quality-of-life issues related to residual depression and anxiety,” Dr. Joffe said.
Women are far more likely to develop thyroid problems than men, especially past age 50, and some experts believe that gender accounts for some reluctance to treat subclinical disease. “There’s a terrible bias against women who come in with subtle emotional complaints,” Dr. Davis said. “These complaints tend to be pushed aside or attributed to stress or anxiety.”
Psychiatric symptoms can be vague, subtle and highly individual, noted Dr. James Hennessey, director of clinical endocrinology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Another complication: It’s not clear to many experts what “normal” thyroid levels really are.
“A patient might have a TSH of 5, which many clinicians would say isn’t high enough to be associated with symptoms,” Dr. Hennessey said. “But if that person’s set point was around 0.5, that 5 would represent a tenfold increase in TSH, which might very well represent disease for that individual.”
In a study published in 2006, researchers in Anhui Province, China, used brain scans to evaluate patients with subclinical hypothyroidism both before and after treatment. They found tangible improvements in both memory and executive function after six months of levothyroxine therapy.
With funds from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Joffe and researchers at Boston University recently began a trial to tease apart the relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and certain mood and cognitive symptoms in people over age 60. The results won’t be known for at least a few years. But some clinicians aren’t waiting.
“I personally feel patients with TSH between 5 and 10, especially with psychiatric symptoms, warrant a trial of thyroid medication,” Dr. Hennessey said.
By HARRIET BROWN
In patients with depression, anxiety and other psychiatric problems, doctors often find abnormal blood levels of thyroid hormone. Treating the problem, they have found, can lead to improvements in mood, memory and cognition.
Now researchers are exploring a somewhat controversial link between minor, or subclinical, thyroid problems and some patients’ psychiatric difficulties. After reviewing the literature on subclinical hypothyroidism and mood, Dr. Russell Joffe, a psychiatrist at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, and colleagues recently concluded that treating the condition, which affects about 2 percent of Americans, could alleviate some patients’ psychiatric symptoms and might even prevent future cognitive decline.
Patients with psychiatric symptoms, Dr. Joffe said, “tell us that given thyroid hormones, they get better.”
The thyroid, a bow-tie-shaped gland that wraps around the trachea, produces two hormones: thyroxine, or T4, and triiodothyronine, known as T3. These hormones play a role in a surprising range of physical processes, from regulation of body temperature and heartbeat to cognitive functioning.
Any number of things can cause the thyroid to malfunction, including exposure to radiation, too much or too little iodine in the diet, medications like lithium, and autoimmune disease. And the incidence of thyroid disease rises with age. Too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) speeds the metabolism, causing symptoms like sweating, palpitations, weight loss and anxiety. Too little (hypothyroidism) can cause physical fatigue, weight gain and sluggishness, as well as depression, inability to concentrate and memory problems.
“In the early 20th century, the best descriptions of clinical depression were actually in textbooks on thyroid disease, not psychiatric textbooks,” Dr. Joffe said.
But doctors have long disagreed about the nature of links between psychiatric symptoms and thyroid problems.
“It’s the chicken-and-egg question,” said Jennifer Davis, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University. “Is there an underlying thyroid problem that causes psychiatric symptoms, or is it the other way around?”
Dr. Davis said it is common for people with thyroid problems to be given a misdiagnosis of psychiatric illness.
Leah Christian, 29, tried antidepressants 10 years ago for depression and anxiety. They did not help. “I just stayed down,” said Ms. Christian, a child care worker in San Francisco.
A few years ago, still struggling, she asked her doctor to refer her to a therapist. The doctor ran a thyroid panel first and found that Ms. Christian had an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a common cause of hypothyroidism.
Ms. Christian was given levothyroxine, a synthetic thyroid hormone replacement. Her depression and anxiety disappeared, she said: “Turns out, all my symptoms were thyroid-related.”
In a sense, she was lucky; her hormone levels were clearly in the abnormal range. “Normal” levels of thyroid stimulating hormone, or TSH, range from 0.4 to 5. (The higher the TSH level, the less active the thyroid.) Most endocrinologists agree that a score of 10 or over requires treatment for hypothyroidism.
But for people with scores between, say, 4 and 10, things get murkier, especially for those who experience such vague psychiatric symptoms as fatigue, mild depression or just not feeling like themselves.
Some doctors believe these patients should be treated. “If somebody has a mood disorder and subclinical hypothyroidism, that could be significant,” said Dr. Thomas Geracioti, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Dr. Geracioti has used thyroid hormones to treat performers with debilitating stage fright; one high-level musician recovered completely, he said.
The idea of treating subclinical hypothyroidism is controversial, especially among endocrinologists. Thyroid hormone treatment can strain the heart and may aggravate osteoporosis in women, noted Dr. Joffe. On the other hand, failing to treat the condition can also stress the heart, and some studies suggest it may increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
And then there is the misery quotient, which is hard to quantify. “People tend to discount the quality-of-life issues related to residual depression and anxiety,” Dr. Joffe said.
Women are far more likely to develop thyroid problems than men, especially past age 50, and some experts believe that gender accounts for some reluctance to treat subclinical disease. “There’s a terrible bias against women who come in with subtle emotional complaints,” Dr. Davis said. “These complaints tend to be pushed aside or attributed to stress or anxiety.”
Psychiatric symptoms can be vague, subtle and highly individual, noted Dr. James Hennessey, director of clinical endocrinology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Another complication: It’s not clear to many experts what “normal” thyroid levels really are.
“A patient might have a TSH of 5, which many clinicians would say isn’t high enough to be associated with symptoms,” Dr. Hennessey said. “But if that person’s set point was around 0.5, that 5 would represent a tenfold increase in TSH, which might very well represent disease for that individual.”
In a study published in 2006, researchers in Anhui Province, China, used brain scans to evaluate patients with subclinical hypothyroidism both before and after treatment. They found tangible improvements in both memory and executive function after six months of levothyroxine therapy.
With funds from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Joffe and researchers at Boston University recently began a trial to tease apart the relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and certain mood and cognitive symptoms in people over age 60. The results won’t be known for at least a few years. But some clinicians aren’t waiting.
“I personally feel patients with TSH between 5 and 10, especially with psychiatric symptoms, warrant a trial of thyroid medication,” Dr. Hennessey said.
By HARRIET BROWN
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