Thyroid madness
Opinion: A medical secret.
By her own admission, Lynn Dunning is a woman who spends a lot of time answering questions. The topic on which she answers those questions is a health issue with common symptoms that has been variously described as a bona fide medical scandal and an extraordinarily common ailment affecting one in four, yet it’s a condition practically unknown in the mainstream.
Lynn is a self-confessed advocate for awareness on thyroid problems, which she considers an uphill struggle. “It would be nice not to fight constantly with doctors”, she says. Lynn’s frustration with the medical profession stems from the fact that ways to deal with thyroid problems are themselves contentious, while others seem to be indifferent or unaware of the myriad problems misdiagnosis– or no diagnosis at all– can cause. “In medical schools in the US, students get about an hour’s worth of training on the thyroid, and they’re taught not to question things; I imagine it is the same here.” But if symptoms of thyroid trouble are anything to go by, it warrants a sizeable second opinion.
The symptoms of an underactive thyroid can range from the biggest tell-tale sign, a low body temperature (i.e. consistently feeling cold no matter what the temperature), to enduring tiredness, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, depression, inexplicable weight gain, hair loss and dry skin. With women, it can heavily affect their periods and at its most extreme case can induce a coma. More often than not though, the symptoms are treated in isolation. And even when thyroid tests are considered, they’re by no means ideal.
Lynn says that doctors are often “hung up” on blood testing for TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), which many consider to be an inaccurate test. There are even discrepancies as to when thyroid problems should be treated. In continental Europe and the US, a rating similar to how cholesterol is dealt with of 2.5 or 3 would warrant treatment. Here, you’d have to have a rating of 5, with some doctors claiming that any rating over 1 is a concern. Others such as Dr. Mark Starr and Dr. John Lowe think the TSH is a completely worthless diagnostic tool.
The effect of this confusion can be devastating. Lynn told me of “...so many sad stories, people spending years in bed only to be told it was all in their head”. In the US and UK, grassroots communities like the decidedly on-message www.stopthethyroidmadness.com are trying their best to raise awareness. There are eminent doctors like the late Broda Barnes, who has a research foundation named after him and is something of a hero in these circles, who argued that treating thyroid problems could not only be beneficial in itself but could also cut heart disease and diabetes off at the pass.
There are even schools of thought within these movements that claim that there is a more sinister reason behind thyroid problems being so ill-handled. Theories abound that synthetic thyroid medicine from pharmaceutical companies often doesn’t do the job it’s meant to do, which then leads to prescribing anti-depressants, cholesterol, blood pressure and other such medicines, all of which are financially lucrative. Worse yet, they claim that these companies undermine the natural thyroid medicines that could help.
But where synthetic medicine doesn’t help sometimes, alternative therapies, natural thyroid medication (brands such as Erfa, Thiroyd, Thyroid-S and Naturthroid) and diet can. Lynn puts a good deal of stock in the comprehensive holistic approach, and a diet rich in protein and fresh foods. Soy products interfere with thyroid hormones however.
With most ailments, referral is relatively easy, but with thyroid problems a dead-end comes all too quickly. Lynn is dedicated to bringing her campaign to wider audiences, but any change at all as far as she’s concerned is a step in the right direction. “If this helps one person it’ll all be worth it.”
Thyroid Facts
- Thyroid problems are usually caused by the immune system attacking the thyroid, and such complaints either originate from either an overactive or underactive thyroid gland.
- Hypothyroid (underactive) symptoms include high cholesterol, dry skin, fatigue, hair loss, weight problems, cold intolerance or depression. One of the most telltale signs however is a constant tendency to feel cold, described by one patient as feeling like “cold steel against the back”.
- Hyperthyroid (overactive) symptoms include anxiety, heart palpitations and sudden weight loss.
- People with thyroid problems either overproduce or underproduce the thyroid hormones T3 and T4.
- Thyroid problems can be genetic, and can sometimes be triggered by stress.
- Sufferers of one particular thyroid related problem, Hashimoto’s disease, are also often coeliacs.
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