Women's Guide to Thyroid Health , livre ebook

“Misdiagnosis is rampant in today’s world. Maybe you don’t have multiple sclerosis, maybe you don’t have bladder problems, maybe you don’t have arthritis, or chronic fatigue, or neuropathy… maybe it’s your thyroid! So many are being treated for diseases they don’t have. In today’s world, you have to do your own research. The Women’s Guide to Thyroid Health is the most informative, thorough guide to understanding the thyroid you will ever read. Discover why you are not feeling well. Kathryn Simpson has done the work; you will be the beneficiary. This is the best book explaining the thyroid that I have ever read.”
—Suzanne Somers
“This book is an excellent overview of endocrine function in women, with particular emphasis on the importance of thyroid activity. The reader will be well informed of the critical interaction between multiple bodily functions and endocrine activity. A must-read for men and women who seem to be suffering the effects of ‘normal’ aging. A hormone adjustment may result in a more enjoyable and healthy life. This work can potentially be a true life-changer for thousands of Americans.”
—Scot A. Brewster, MD, cardiac surgeon at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, CA
“In her latest book, Kathryn Simpson has brought to us a wonderful, understandable approach to thyroid dysfunction. As a neurologist and sleep disorders specialist, I am impressed how little the medical community at large investigates this common set of disorders and even more impressed with how passive therapy usually is. With this book as a guide, anyone can easily understand thyroid-related symptoms, be empowered to undergo appropriate testing, and intelligently evaluate the response to replacement therapy.”
—Victor Rosenfeld, MD, neurology department head at the Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara, CA
“For years I suffered from exhaustion, depression, weight gain, and hair loss. I tried everything I could think of—diet, prayer, positive thinking—but I just kept getting worse. I was at the end of my rope. It wasn’t until I spoke to Kathryn Simpson at her clinic that I came to understand all my symptoms were due to hypothyroidism and finally got help. I started on thyroid medication and have resolved all my symptoms.”
—Betsy Covert, patient
“I was fortunate to have a doctor who implemented Kathryn Simpson’s research in his practice. I had suffered with lupus for over five years, seeing specialist after specialist, with symptoms that were getting progressively worse. After going through the testing and evaluation program, it turned out that I had a serious thyroid deficiency as well as a parathyroid disorder. After both were treated, all my symptoms resolved and have been completely gone for over a year now. It’s a miracle!”
—Regina Frazier, patient
Kathryn R. Simpson
New Harbinger Publications, Inc. -->
Publisher’s Note
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
A Word of Caution
The author’s intent is to share knowledge and information based on personal experience and available scientific research. The information in this book is not intended to replace the care of a physician or other licensed health care professional, nor is it intended as medical advice. If you have symptoms or suffer from an illness or health condition, you should always consult with a qualified health professional to accurately analyze and diagnose what is going on.
All women are individual in their physical makeup and situation, and no two women will have the exact same set of health conditions, making it impossible to understand what the correct treatment path will be for any given woman without individualized testing and evaluation under the care of a trained health professional.
It is important to understand that anyone who wishes to embark on any dietary, drug, exercise, or other lifestyle change intended to prevent or treat a specific disease, condition, or symptom should first consult with the appropriate health care professional, and no treatment should be initiated or stopped (particularly any prescription drugs you may be taking) without this medical supervision.
Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books
Copyright © 2009 by Kathryn R. Simpson, MS
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
Cover design by Amy Shoup; Acquired by Melissa Kirk; Edited by Jasmine Star; Text design by Tracy Carlson
All rights reserved
Epub ISBN: 978-1-60882-690-2
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as:
Simpson, Kathryn R.
The women’s guide to thyroid health / Kathryn R. Simpson.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-1-57224-577-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-57224-577-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Hypothyroidism--Popular works. 2. Women--Diseases--Popular works. 3. Thyroid gland--Popular works. I. Title.
RC657.S565 2008
616.4’44--dc22
2008052209
Dedicated to all the women who are searching for answers to their thyroid problems. Take heart—there is a solution!
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Why Your Thyroid Gland Is Important
2. The Endocrine System and How It Affects Your Thyroid
3. Assessing Your Thyroid Health
4. Understanding Symptoms of Hypothyroidism
5. Causes of Hypothyroidism
6. Thyroid Testing Made Simple
7. Treatment Options for Hypothyroidism
8. Other Ways to Support Your Thyroid Function
9. The Importance of Good Adrenal Function
10. Signs of Thyroid Dysfunction in Children
11. Hyperthyroidism: An Overactive Thyroid
Conclusion
Resources
References
Foreword
Thyroid hormones are crucial to every single function in your body. You can’t survive without them. But as we age, particularly in our current world, we rarely have optimum levels of these and many other important hormones. This means we don’t have optimum health and often end up with conditions like arthritis, heart disease, flagging sex drive, gray hair, wrinkles, and ever-increasing weight gain—all signs that may be caused by low thyroid function.
In this book, Kathy Simpson provides a huge amount of information and also illuminates several fundamental truths that may change the way you view your situation. First, she makes clear the overall importance of thyroid hormones for a woman’s happiness, health, and even beauty. Second, she focuses on information that’s often neglected in the medical world, specifically that thyroid hormones don’t work alone. They only work well if appropriate dietary and lifestyle changes are made, if necessary hormone replacement therapy is implemented to correct hormonal and nutritional deficiencies, and if environmental factors support hormone health. For example, your body may not respond well to thyroid therapy if your diet is lacking in important amino acids, if levels of other important hormones are imbalanced, or if you’re exposed to toxic chemicals (including mercury amalgam fillings). Factors such as these can compromise your recovery despite adequate thyroid medication.
The Women’s Guide to Thyroid Health is definitely a complete guide. It contains all of the important information you’ll need to optimize your thyroid function, written in clear, comprehensible language. Because of its incredible thoroughness, it’s better not to read it in a hurry. There is too much useful information contained in the book to try to absorb it in one sitting. Take your time and read it bit by bit in order to integrate its valuable information and apply it to your daily living.
—Thierry Hertoghe, MD President of the International Hormone Society Author of The Hormone Handbook , The Patient Hormone Handbook , and The Hormone Solution
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the Hertoghe family—doctors Eugene, Luc, Jacques, Therese, and Thierry—who have shaped the way the world thinks about hormones for over a hundred years. To Hiram French, Jo Ann Roland, Debbie Merino, Jasmine Star, Melissa Kirk and the whole New Harbinger bunch, and William Van Valin, MD, for all their help and support. To all the women and doctors who generously shared their stories and experiences. And especially to my family—Bob, Tyler, Kyle, and Myles—who’ve had to hear more about thyroid function than anyone should have to.
Introduction
Doctors have traditionally been in complete charge of our health, and even our bodies. But this is starting to change as more and more women realize that they can no longer sit passively by and turn their health over to anyone else—even the best-trained doctor. While doctors certainly play a key role in health care, successful patients realize that doctors’ orders alone won’t make them well—that the relationship with our medical team is a two-way street and that health is primarily the responsibility of the individual. And now, with in-depth medical research readily available on the Internet on even the rarest of medical conditions, you can be fully informed and take charge of your situation to ensure you’re getting the best care possible.
As confident as I may sound now, I have to be honest: The need to manage my own health care wasn’t always obvious to me. I learned it the hard way after I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) eight years ago. It was a long process for me to get to the bottom of what was going on: that low thyroid, adrenal, and ovarian function were at the root of all my symptoms of MS. My path was fraught with many dead ends and false starts as I worked with various doctors to try to figure out what was causing my health problems.
My problems started innocently enough when I was thirty-nine, with numbness in my hands. By forty-three I had also started to experience fatigue, bl