Sponsored by Life's Medicine
Written by Dr. Isabel Lopez, M.D., P.A.
How manybrof you have been to your doctor absolutely convinced you are having symptomsbrconsistent with an under active thyroid (thanks to your extensive Internetbrresearch)? You have fatigue, weight issues, difficulty concentrating, memorybrproblems, thinning hair, dry skin and an indifference to life, among otherbrsymptoms. How could it not be your thyroid? You get your blood checked and yourbrdoctor tells you “it's not your thyroid — the number is within normalbrrange.” You leave there feelingbrcompletely hopeless. “I must just be getting old,” you tell yourself. Well, guess what? It could definitelybrbe your thyroid! What most primary care doctors do not realize is that thebrAmerican Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) has narrowed thebrparameters of the normal range and now patients whose results looked normalbrbefore now are considered hypothyroid. Let me explain…
Stay withbrme here because it does get a little confusing (especially for those of you withbrhave an under-treated thyroid). When we check patients for thyroid disease, webrdo not check the thyroid directly. We instead check the levels of a hormonebrcalled Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) that is produced by the pituitarybrgland in the brain. Your TSH stimulates your thyroid to make thyroid hormones.brWhen the levels of your thyroid hormones are normal, your TSH will be normal orbrlow. You feel good, energetic, keep your weight and cholesterol down easily andbrhave great brain function because good levels of the thyroid hormones help youbrfeel great and give you a sense of well-being. On the other hand, when yourbrthyroid hormones are low, your TSH will be high. Your brain senses the lowbrlevels and increases TSH levels to try to stimulate your thyroid to make morebrthyroid hormones.
So, whenbrwe diagnose patients with low thyroid, it is because the TSH result came backbrhigh. That range of normal use to be 0.5 to 5.3. You had to have a TSH abovebrthat to be considered low thyroid. In January 2002, the AACE narrowed thosebrparameters to 0.3 to 3.0. If you had your thyroid checked before and your TSHbrwas over 3.0, it would have been considered normal! (When in fact, by the newbrstandard, you would be considered abnormal.) This is great news! However, thebrproblem is that most primary care doctors are not aware of these new standardsbrand the labs are still using the old parameters to flag abnormal labs. Oftentimesbrif the lab is not flagged abnormal, it is not looked at. For those of youbralready on thyroid replacement hormone, you might be able to up your medication.brSay your TSH was 4.0 — you could get you medicationbrincreased. Maximizing your thyroidbrmedication (getting your TSH less than 3.0) will maximize your sense of well-beingbrand make it easier for you to maintain a healthy weight. It is such a wonderfulbrthing to diagnose and treat patients for a low thyroid; we see it all of thebrtime at the clinic as most patients with a low thyroid also have weight issues.brNot all patients with weight issues have a thyroid problem, but most patientsbrwith thyroid problems struggle with their weight. Whether we increase theirbrcurrent medication (because the TSH is above 3.0) or start them on it, they almostbralways feel so much better within 10 days. So now what do you do?
If youbrare feeling symptoms consistent with a low thyroid, whether you are already onbrthyroid medication or not, go see you primary doctor or come see me. Ask yourbrdoctor to check your thyroid and ask them to go to the AACE website where thebrnew parameters for the normal range are outlined. Even better: Print it upbryourself and bring it to them. Rememberbrthat you are your own best advocate. Knowledge is power. Most doctors are sobrbusy trying to keep their heads above water. Between seeing patients, referralsbrand dealing with insurance rejections, it leaves little time to keep up withbrreading. Help them help you.
This isbryour life; now go get it! Take charge of your health, be proactive and startbrtaking steps to feel better. Stop telling yourself you are just getting old. Nothingbrwill change if you don't make changes. You can dream about it, think on it,brstudy it and breathe it, but until you take action on it, you will never ownbrit!
About Life's Medicine
Dr. IsabelbrLopez earned a BS in Biology from St. Mary's University in 1989 and her medicalbrdegree from Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, in 1994. After completing her residency at John PeterbrSmith Hospital in Fort Worth, she began her family practice career with BaylorbrHospital, Irving. While treatingbrpatients at her clinic, she developed a true passion for educating her patientsbron the importance of a healthy diet. Shebrhas served as a medical director for a weight-loss clinic in Southlake andbrwhile there, was able to study the co-morbid conditions that can facilitatebrweight gain, prevent weight-loss and negatively affect the quality of life.
Now opening her own clinic Life's Medicine, she hopes tobrcontinue her passion for helping her patients live life to the fullest. Life'sbrMedicine offers an integrated and holistic approach to diagnosing and treatingbrhigh blood pressure, hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian disease, insulinbrresistance, diabetes, depression, insomnia, decreased sex drive and otherbrconditions. Dr. Lopez takes the human being and their concerns into account, collaboratingbrwith her patients in decisions to treat based not solely on lab results but onbra variety of factors, at the core of which is how the patient actually feels. Thebrmission and true passion at Life's Medicine is to improve the quality of life!