The Case Of The Underactive Thyroid

Years ago, when somebody weight gain was due to "being hypothyroid," they might have received a lot of rolled eyeballs. That's because medical experts were on the bandwagon to get people to recognize the importance of lifestyle habits the battle of the bulge--and stop blaming their glands.

But today, the thyroid gland reentered the picture. A lead authority and medical pioneer in field of thyroid research is spreading the word that treating the thyroid just may be the solution for beat depression, regaining energy treating a host of other disorders.

One in 10 Americans, 20 million people, have a diagnosed thyroid disorder, according to Ridha Arem, M.D., author of The Thyroid Solution (Ballentine, 2000), And Associate Professor of Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

It seems as though everybody knows somebody who is taking thyroid hormones. Just how common is the problem? "I think thyroid imbalance has always been prevalent. It affects 8 percent of the general population. And the most common form is low grade hypothyroidism, otherwise referred to as subclinical," says Dr. Arem.

Millions more have an undiagnosed thyroid disorder that causes chronic depression. Arem's clinical experience and editorial stint for Clinical Thyroidology, a respected periodical on thyroid disorders for physicians, has taught him that some forms of depression are often a warning sign for thyroid dysfunction, and can be lifted simply with the right thyroid hormone replacement. In fact, when practitioners diagnose a thyroid disorder, they treat it as a simple physical problem rather than what it really is: a complex blow to the body and mind.

Stress Takes Its Toll on a Healthy Thyroid

Why are we seeing more thyroid problems than ever before? Stress of modern life definitely plays a significant role in wear and tear of the thyroid. But you need not let stress pound your thyroid into submission. "People are most interested in natural forms of medicine these days, and there are several things you can do to help your thyroid system stay healthy," says Arem. First of all, learn to manage the stress in your life with some form of daily relaxation. Don't let stress take its toll on your thyroid. The feedback system between the immune and endocrine system is so complex and interconnected that unchecked stress has the potential for eventually burning out the thyroid.

Arem says, "Stress can affect the immune system, and there may be a counterreaction by complex mechanisms for the immune system to attack the thyroid and cause an immune reaction on the thyroid. This leads to Grave's Disease, a form of overactive thyroid; in fact, the most common form."

Depression and Hashimoto's Syndrome

Although there is no scientific research to support his suspicion, Arem also believes that unchecked depression can affect the immune system, which leads to a form of depression linked with a form of thyroiditis known as Hashimoto's Syndrome. Hashimoto's is actually the disease that causes underactive thyroid. Diagnosis of this disorder can be tricky because the thyroid test results are usually adequate, but blood levels of anti-thyroid antibodies may be elevated, revealing Hashimoto's.

To show how complicated this can be to unravel, Arem says, "In some cases, Hashimoto's can cause inflammation and gradual destruction of the thyroid which will lead to underactive thyroid. An underactive thyroid does not mean the gland has quit working, it is just under-performing. This condition could be either minute or severe. However, the severity of symptoms doesn't necessarily correlate with the severity of the imbalance." Working up a thyroid disorder is a lot like solving an intensely complicated puzzle, laced with patient histories, interviews, trials of hormone replacements and lab data. But sticking with the puzzle and staying committed to solving it is often the only hope for giving patients peace of mind and strength of body.

Solving the Puzzle

Common symptoms of thyroid problems include depression, weight gain, fibromyalgia, high cholesterol, memory loss, anxiety and other ailments. As stated earlier, sometimes the symptoms are severe, sometimes minimal, and according to Arem, the severity of symptoms has very little to do with the extent of the thyroid disorder. "Depression is really key," says Arem. "Anyone who has bipolar disorder should be checked for thyroid, because it can cause depressive symptoms and make them more vulnerable. Sometimes, it doesn't completely lift."

If you suspect you may have a thyroid disorder, the first thing to do is check your morning temperature several days in a row. A chronically low temperature (below 97 or 96 degrees) may be indicative of a problem. Report these findings to your physician, who may determine your blood levels of circulating thyroid hormones.

Thyroid Hormone Replacement

The thyroid gland produces a variety of hormones, chief among those are T3 and T4. The conventional form of treatment is to take synthetic thyroxin or T4. Millions of Americans are on thyroxin and have been for decades. Prescribing thyroxin has been pretty much the unquestioned dogma of thyroid replacement. "We rely on this synthetic to provide adequate amounts of T3 in the body through a conversion process which takes place in the liver and muscles," Arem says.