Page 15 - HOH

a24 health
Wednesday 6 February 2019

Throat’s Door

of libido, and weight gain, which is sometimes son’s Syndrome. If you have low body temper-
uncontrollable. In fact, an insufficiently nour- ature and some of the symptoms listed above
ished thyroid might be a major cause of weight you could have this condition.
problems, especially among women, in the In our clinic we see a lot of hypo or low func-
West today. tioning thyroids. The first solution is to put our pa-
Research indicates that up to 10 percent of tients on their metabolic or blood type food list.
Westerners have a thyroid problem that has Because of today’s diet, people will likely never
most likely gone unrecognized. If you are expe- experience outstanding thyroid health, unless
riencing any of the symptoms above your doc- they are encouraged to change their eating
tor could send you to check your thyroid func- habits.
tion through a blood test. Unfortunately, the test Your thyroid can be nourished better with a diet
results may not be accurate. This is because that includes the good fats (olive oil, pumpkin-
test “averages” do not show how all of us are seed oil, real, unsalted butter, cod liver oil, and
unique. Your individual thyroid hormone levels egg yolks) and mineral-rich foods (dark green
are not like anyone else’s. leafy vegetables, sea salt and ocean veggies).
Thyroid tests will not give you an accurate in- Supplements that help in building a strong thy-
dication of your ideal thyroid hormone level, roid are kelp and selenium.
because they are missing a critical piece of Most thyroid patients are women and many
information which is your peak thyroid level with low progesterone are often misdiagnosed
when you were young and healthy. Should your as thyroid deficiency. Thyroid and sex hor-
thyroid test results indicate that you are in the mones each affect the other. We often attend
“normal” range...say 5.5...but when you were women with bulging eyes, racing heartbeat,
younger you would have tested at a 9, then in- and a swollen neck by naturally stimulating their
deed, your thyroid is quite under active for you. progesterone production. Adding zinc to your
At 5.5 you may feel very tired yet your doctor daily supplement routine is important for sexual
will tell you that your test results are “normal.” health.
By: Dr. Carlos Viana You can only truly compare you with you, and Irregular periods, often leading to needless hys-
not a range of others. It would be ideal if we terectomies, are unfortunate common aspects
The word thyroid comes from the Greek “thura” were tested when we were in our late teens of hypothyroidism; and breast disease. Too little
which means “door,” which is what the thyroid and twenties and our peak levels were record- thyroid production may cause increased pro-
looks like. Your thyroid gland is the largest en- ed at the topmost physical time in our life. Then, lactin levels and persistent estrogen stimulation.
docrine gland and is situated in the front of the as we age, we could test ourselves again to en- Prolactin is the hormone that stimulates the pro-
neck. Your thyroid gland secretes iodine- rich sure that our hormone levels remain at this peak duction of breast milk. Levels rise normally dur-
hormones thyroxin and triiodothyronine which level. ing pregnancy and breastfeeding. Abnormal
regulate your metabolism rate; but its effects The second reason that the tests are often in- changes in prolactin production can slow or
are felt all over the body. accurate is because they only show what your stop your menstruation and you may find that
thyroid hormone levels are on the day of test- you are producing milk from your breasts when
Thyroid glands that are not functioning optimal- ing. Your thyroid is a “tricky” organ to both diag- you are not pregnant.
ly produce a myriad of symptoms. Many peo- nose and treat since its hormone levels fluctu- Get The Point! Your thyroid may not be working
ple experience unexplained cold hands and ate all the time. What you eat each day has a at its optimum if you are experiencing some of
feet, low body temperature, sensitivity to cold, tremendous and immediate impact on it, and the symptoms mentioned above. If the guard-
a feeling of always being chilled, headaches, how much hormone it secretes. ian in your throat isn’t handling the job any-
insomnia, dry skin and hair, puffy eyes, hair loss, A third reason for their inaccuracy is that the more, maybe it’s time for a change of guard.
brittle nails, joint aches, constipation, mental tests do not indicate if your thyroid hormone is Take control of your health by opening the door
dullness, fatigue, frequent infections, PMS symp- actually entering your cells. Your thyroid may to diet and lifestyle changes. Don’t settle for
toms, hoarse voice, ringing in the ears, dizziness, be manufacturing plenty of hormone but your “averages.” We are all different; we offer spe-
depression, fluid retention, anxiety and panic cells can become resistant to the hormone and cialized hormone and other testing. Let us pre-
attacks, allergies, asthma, acne, skin hives, loss not able to utilize it. This condition is called Wil- pare a personal plan to fortify your health.q