Unresolved Thyroid

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The good news: Your tests are “normal.” Again.

The bad news: Your symptoms persist. It’s been five, ten, fifteen years now.

The problem is one of two things: Either you have hypothyroidism but your tests fail to demonstrate this OR you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism (maybe even Hashimoto’s).

The solution: Thyroid hormone replacement and a plethora of medications to manage the rest of your symptoms.

“Take this prescription for your depression. Take this one for your anxiety. Take this one for your headaches. This one should help with your fatigue and this one should help you sleep. This will help with your osteoporosis and this one should help with your constipation. Take this antacid for your heartburn and this pill might help you lose weight. Watch your diet and try exercising regularly. We’ll see you back in a couple of months to see how you are doing. If necessary, we will refer you to a sleep specialist, fertility specialist, irritable bowel specialist, neurologist and a therapist.”

If this scenario sounds even remotely familiar to you, then join the millions of Americans who remain confused and frustrated because their thyroid symptoms persist even though they medicate appropriately and have “normal” test results.

The current standard of care evaluates a patient’s thyroid function by measuring the level of one specific hormone: Thyroid Stimulating Hormone or TSH. This hormone, which is secreted by the pituitary gland, is elevated when circulating thyroid hormones are low. When TSH rises to a certain level, your doctor diagnoses you with hypothyroidism and prescribes thyroid hormone replacement. From that point on, your TSH is measured intermittently and your thyroid hormone dosage is adjusted until your TSH falls into the “normal” range.

If you are an individual who has a thyroid gland that is truly underperforming, that form of management will most likely benefit you. However, the vast majority of patients will not benefit from that type of care and this is why: there are at least twenty (20) mechanisms responsible for hypothyroidism and only one of them responds to thyroid replacement therapy.  That’s right, only one!

Many patients who suffer with hypothyroid symptoms actually have normal TSH levels and normal thyroid hormone production, but other physiologic processes (like too much estrogen, too much testosterone, unregulated blood sugar, etc.) alter their effectiveness and create hypothyroid‐like symptoms. In the current model of thyroid management, these patients are destined to fail. Since their TSH levels are normal, their symptoms are not attributed to a thyroid condition. As a result, they are prescribed multiple medications and they become trapped in a system that will never promote health or normal human physiology.

It gets worse. For some patients, the cause of their hypothyroidism is actually acknowledged, but not addressed. Let me explain. Worldwide, the number one cause of thyroid dysfunction is iodine deficiency. However, in the United States, iodine deficiency is not the culprit. Here, the majority of hypothyroid cases are the result of an autoimmune attack against the thyroid. It is termed Hashimoto’s thyroid.

Hashimoto’s thyroid is not a thyroid problem per se. It is really an autoimmune attack and the thyroid gland just happens to be the target of choice. Hashimoto’s, which can be triggered by insulin surges, pregnancy, and gluten, causes your TSH levels to fluctuate wildly, from high to low to normal every month. This is one of the reasons your lab tests may be “normal” for months or even years despite the fact that you clinically demonstrate signs of hypothyroidism. The question you may now be asking: “Why isn’t the cause of my hypothyroidism addressed?” The reason is simple: the cause of your hypothyroidism does not change the medical intervention. An elevated TSH means thyroid replacement, regardless of which of the 20‐or‐so mechanisms are responsible. Treating patients in this model is often ineffective because it fails to address WHY the thyroid is “hypo” in the first place.

If you are frustrated with the management of your Unresolved Thyroid symptoms, then make 2010 the year you commit to resolving your low thyroid function. Our innovative approach to supporting and managing patients with thyroid dysfunction may change your life.

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