Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Your Thyroid - Taking Care of It


Have you noticed why you had difficulty losing weight, had such dried-out skin, your hair and nails always looked breakable, and your hands and feet appeared to be cold when the remainder of you felt fine? Did you at any time get out of bed in the morning feeling exhausted, discouraged and you felt as though your heart beat was slow, rapid, or abnormal? Well these types of signs and symptoms together with others may be from a thyroid problem. Other possible signs of thyroid problems may be regular constipation, joint pain, muscle weakness, skin issues for example dry rough, itchy, scaly skin and puffy under-eye area.

Our thyroid function is very important to be able to assist in keeping our immune system at its very best. There was a study conducted in Germany which says a large percentage of cancer patients had a very low or subclinical low thyroid level. Over the years the researchers have confirmed that low thyroid levels may lead to illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression, arthritis, and even more.

Low thyroid functions are considered to be called hypothyroidism. Subclinical low thyroid is where the blood test figures show up normal but they are on the lowest side of normal. Numerous doctors don't take into account the low numbers and will only deal with the thyroid if the numbers are evidently below the "normal range."

When I was in med school, we were taught that if the patient had the symptoms of low thyroid and the blood range numbers were normal however low normal, think about treating the patient with a minimal dose of natural thyroid. It was remarkable at the life transforming happiness it brought to many of these patients within days.

Here is a simple test you are able to perform on oneself at home. This was developed by Dr. Broda Otta Barnes around 1942 and the outcomes were printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Dr Barnes didn't consider his test to be 100% right but he maintained that it was superior to the blood tests that are being used. A lot of physicians specifically Naturopathic physicians will use this test and occasionally support it with the conventional blood work.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Before going to bed at night, shake down a basal body thermometer or an oral thermometer. Set it up next to your bedside so it could be all set for you any time you wake up. The key is that you don't stir all around significantly when you awaken. Do this before you get out of bed, drink your coffee or food.

When you wake up, place the thermometer in your armpit (axillary) coming in contact with your skin, not over your clothes. Leave for five (5) minutes. Note what the temperature is and record it.

Standard axillary temperature is within the range of 97.8 to 98.2 F. Take your temperature at least 5 days before getting out of bed. If your temperature is less than 97.8, it would be a good idea to have your physician look at your blood work. This could indicate your thyroid is under-active or hypothroid. Always ask for a copy of your blood work to take home so you will have your report. The majority of lab reports will give your result along with the normal range so you should be able to see where within the range you are.

There's incredible quantity of information on the Broda Barnes Thyroid Test which can be googled. Please bear in mind, this test doesn't take the place of your doctor but it can give you an idea and an excellent argument for health. Also, there are lots of great natural thyroid medications nowadays so you don't need to be satisfied with the synthetic drugs.

A good working thyroid helps you to keep a great working immune system!

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