Kind of silly, because it's easily treated. Take Mary's quiz and see you how rate.
 | Quiz: Could You Be Hypothyroid? from Mary Shomon, Your Guide to Thyroid Disease |
Could your thyroid -- the master gland of metabolism and energy -- be underactive?
As of 2006, experts estimate that as many as 59 million Americans have a thyroid condition, and the vast majority are hypothyroid -- and have an underfunctioning, slow or sluggish thyroid.
START THE QUIZ NOW!!
7 comments:
That was a fascinating quiz. I scored pretty low for likelihood of a thyroid condition and I've recently had my thyroid tested so I'm confident I am fine, but 11 years ago I did have a thyroid condition and my answers would have been very different back then.
I had a low thyroid that went undiagnosed by the western medical community because I was very underweight at the time - size 0 underweight - which is not a symptom of low thyroid. (Being overweight, I was told, is a symptom). It took my accupuncturist to figure it out and she told me to get my thyroid tested. My western doctor didn't even want to do the test but I insisted and accu doctor was correct! But I had no idea that a thyroid condition can cause so many symptoms. I was extremely allergic at the time, had difficulty sleeping, would wake up in night sweats, had terrible memory problems... Perhaps this is why!
Ali
That's funny--
I was CONVINCED my s-i-l had thryoid problems (she had infertility, depression) but she's extremely beautiful and very very slender even tho' she' in her 50s. Humoring me she was tested, "normal" (per her doc) tsh. I insisted she go back and get the full panel--
Her thryoid peroxidase #s (signal of antibodies) were off the chart!!!!
She's being treated now...
p.s. I'm also size 0 and it confounds all the docs...but they have to get out of the mindset that you HAVE to be overweight to have hypothyroid. I think maybe for us, the anxiety/allergy thing keeps us underweight...
Glad you're back in balance!
Mainstream medical practice relies on the TSH test to determine when to treat with thyroid hormone (lab range 0.5 – 5.5) , so most people with low thyroid may have normal TSH and are missed by the medical system and are not given thyroid hormone.
The TSH may be paradoxically low in a condition called hypothalamic dysfunction. Since the TSH may be below 3, no mainstream doctor would give thyroid hormone. However, if the free T3 and free T4 are both low, this indicates a low thyroid condition, in spite of the low TSH.
Reflex time and basal temperature are also useful, as well as a lengthy questionnaire reviewing symptoms of low thyroid. For treatment options, synthroid is the synthetic thyroid pill which contains only T4, while the natural thyroid pill contains both T3 and T4 accounting for its better results. For more information on natural thyroid for low thyroid conditions, see my newsletter.
Jeffrey Dach MD
Hi Again Marie
I've been surfing your site for more thyroid info. If you've got a moment, I'm wondering how long did it take for you to work out your armour meds? I'm frustrated b/c I thought I got it right after the first month, when my TSH was down to 1.09 and T4, T3 looked good too. Now it's creeped back up to 2.3 and T4 has dropped. Plus ovulation is screwy this month--very late. I wasn't consistent in my testing protocol---the first month I had my test an hour after taking the meds in the am, this time I took my meds after the test, so that might have something to do with it, and my practioner agrees. I guess I just have to be patient with the TTC part and not expect too much right now...Which is hard!
Thx!
Elizabeth
Hi E--
You have to be consistent, esp in your baseline.
1. take meds at same time every day(pref when stomach is empty)
2, don't take cytomel and levox. together
3. test either before or after meds and before or after eating...this makes a difference!!
If yr. ovulation is off, I'm suspecting also that you're taking the meds at different times...am I right?
Hi GM
Thanks for getting back to me.
Yes, NOW I get it about the consistent part. I was splitting my armour dose of 15mg (really low dose) taking it at 8am with breakfast and then at 5ish with a cracker. Now I'm on 15mg at 6am with no food and the same at 6pm with no food.
About the ovulation, I'm on armour so not mixing meds. I usually ovulate day 14-16 but it looks like this month will be 17+. I've also been playing with some herbs on my own--vitex and red clover so that could be affecting it. And just read somewhere(whoops) this a.m. that red clover and hypo are not to be mixed. I think I should probably see a naturopath for guidance...
Thanks so much--you are doing such great work here. Also, I'm very interested in your book, we are looking into adoption and are trying to sort out the complicated ethics of it all--where's the best place to buy it, for you?
Glad you got that straightened out. I didn't know about red clover--I'll have to check it out.
Buying my book in the bookstore is the best!
Thanks,
marie
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