A growing health epidemic is sweeping our country, and millions may

be affected - without knowing it. Undiagnosed or undertreated low thyroid

is an energy-sapping illness with many diverse symptoms (fatigue,

depression, weight gain or difficulty losing weight, unexplained aches and

pains, low sex drive, infertility, mental sluggishness, allergies, and more).

The thyroid gland controls every chemical reaction of every organ in the

body. Low thyroid is debilitating - and alarmingly on the rise. 

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Fatigue is the number one complaint that brings people to the doctor's office — but just because you complain about it doesn't mean your doctor will identify the cause and prescribe a proper remedy. A failure to properly diagnose and treat fatigue is especially likely if your lack of energy is due to an underactive or hypothyroid condition.

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1. A person can have an underactive or hypothyroid condition which is many times not diagnosed by regular blood tests.

 

2. Normal blood test levels (according to lab range) may not mean they are optimal for you. If you have symptoms which can be attributed to “low thyroid,” and even if your lab tests are in “normal range,” I sometimes put my patients on thyroid medications to see if this treatment can alleviate their symptoms. 

 

3. Some of my patients require thyroid hormone in the “higher than normal range” to feel better.

 

4. Most doctors order only a TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone) test and rely on it to diagnose hypothyroidism and monitor treatment progress. A TSH test is a fraction of the overall thyroid picture. TSH is NOT a thyroid hormone. It is a pituitary hormone from which doctors have to guess the quality of your thyroid hormones. In addition, it can only diagnose “primary” hypothyroidism, NOT other types of hypothyroidism. 

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Thyroid Testing at Home: Blood tests aren’t the only way to determine if you have hypothyroidism. You can test your thyroid function yourself by measuring your basal body temperature. Just leave a regular thermometer within easy reach before you go to bed and, if it’s the old mercury type, shake it down below 96 degrees. Immediately upon awakening in the morning—before you’ve moved at all—place the thermometer in your armpit and leave it there for 10 minutes. 

Do this for four consecutive days, recording the temperature each day. (For menstruating women, this thyroid testing is only accurate during the first four days of their menstrual cycles.) Normal temperature is 97.8 to 98.6 degrees F. If your average temperature is lower than 97.8 degrees, you could have an underactive thyroid and would likely benefit from thyroid supplements.

 

Should you have any questions or would like further information regarding Chelation therapy treatment, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

 

Hitendra H. Shah, M.D.

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