# Compelling reasons to treat mild hypothyroidism



## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

I thought I would post this article here because it says a lot about why so many of us have under-treated hypothyroid conditions, and the devastating effects of even mild hypothyroidism on our overall health.

http://thyroid.about.com/b/2011/07/...idism-hashimoto-susan-carlton-controversy.htm

"women with intermediate (1.14-2.52) or "high" levels (2.5-3.5) of TSH had a 41% and 69% increased risk of heart attack death compared with women who had TSH levels in the lower range of normal (0.50-1.4 mIU/L). Women whose thyroid levels were actually abnormally low had an even greater risk of heart attack."

"Untreated hypothyroidism not only leads to troublesome symptoms of fatigue, constipation, depression, and obesity, but also causes kidney disease, elevated lipid levels and fatal coronary heart disease."

"Psychiatry textbooks now include thyroid hormone as a standard treatment option for persons with difficult to treat depression."

If you go to the bottom of the page, there are references to Medical studies that we could show our doctors when they tell us our blood tests are "normal."


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

lavender said:


> I thought I would post this article here because it says a lot about why so many of us have under-treated hypothyroid conditions, and the devastating effects of even mild hypothyroidism on our overall health.
> 
> http://thyroid.about.com/b/2011/07/...idism-hashimoto-susan-carlton-controversy.htm
> 
> ...


This is "really" good; thank you so much!! Everyone should bookmark this link!


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## scottyg354 (Jun 13, 2011)

Don't forget about us "guys" either.


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

The article deals with both men and women. I did find it interesting that in one of the studies linked, it stated the link between mildly elevated TSH and coronary heart disease is more significant in women than men.

"Overall, thyrotropin levels within the reference range were positively associated with CHD mortality (P for trend = .01); the trend was statistically significant in women (P for trend = .005) but not in men. "
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/168/8/855

Not to leave the men out:
"the Whickham study (2) followed over 2,700 people with TSH levels in the 6 to 15 range, compared to normals, for over 20 years. It was shown that those with the "mildly elevated" TSH had a 76% higher heart disease. If treated, the risk was equal to "normals."

However, the most compelling reason to advocate for good thyroid care is this:
"A large study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine demonstrated that those with low normal thyroid levels were shown to have significantly increased risk for atherosclerosis (1.7 to1.9 times normal) and heart attack (2.3 to 3.1 times normal). The study demonstrated that low normal thyroid levels (mildly elevated TSH) contribute to 60 percent of heart attacks and are more of a risk factor for heart disease than smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension or even diabetes."


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Thanks for the link! I'm glad to see doctors and patients quickly taking Good Housekeeping to task on this. The writer could have easily done far better research and gotten excellent explanations from both sides of the fence. Instead, we're presented with a mediocre description of a serious medical issue.

Geez, if all I had to do was drink more coffee and buy a few crossword puzzles, I would have been working at Starbucks years ago!


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## McKenna (Jun 23, 2010)

GH magazine's editor wrote a statement in response to the comments. Sorry to say, but it didn't help one bit. http://thyroid.about.com/b/2011/07/26/good-housekeeping-magazine-thyroid-controversy-problem.htm

I wrote two letters to the editor; one about the article and one about the statement. Not only was the article terrible, but the follow up statement was insulting. So sad......


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## HeidiBR (Apr 4, 2010)

Here's the issue I have with Mary Shomon's comments. She blasts GH for saying that thyroid disease is a "cottage industry" and then quotes a bunch of physicians who all have a thyroid cottage industry. Shomon's own income and profession comes from the cottage industry that she denies exists.

There seems to be no middle ground; the conventional doctors sound like dinosaurs, and the thyroid advocates come off a bit hysterical. What I wouldn't give for some middle ground on this issue.


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## McKenna (Jun 23, 2010)

I've been to SSTM and DearThyroid sites also, to see their take on the article and also read the many comments on the GH page from doctors, professionals and patients. There is so much emotion surrounding not only that article, but the feelings, memories and experiences that people have gone through that have been stirred up from reading it.

My opinion remains that the article was awful, for many reasons and hopefully they will post a follow up with at least another opinion. It doesn't have to be Mary's, but something.


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

It is frustrating to me as a patient to see a lack of knowledge about how to diagnose and treat thyroid disease in standard medical practice. The cost is that there are many sick patients, mostly women, who are desperate to find any solution to help them feel better.

Many practitioners are looking to fill a void in our medical care, but unfortunately most alternative medicine is not covered by insurance, and these doctors can charge ridiculous amounts of money promising to make us better. Every time I do a search for anything thyroid, I get bombarded with sites trying to sell me some magical cure. It makes a very confusing system to navigate as a sick patient. My friend even called me the other day to invite me to some fancy "thyroid dinner" hosted by some practitioner promising to give me the secrets to treating my thyroid condition. I'm sure it's some snake oil peddler trying to drum up business, and it makes me sick.

No offense to the guys here, but I think if there were more men than women with thyroid disease, there would be a lot more research and better standards of care. Historically, many women were treated for "hysteria." It was assumed that whatever was wrong with them was all mental, and I don't think much has changed today when I read things like the GH article and have medical doctors look at me like I'm nuts when I go to them for care.


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## HeidiBR (Apr 4, 2010)

I agree! I also think the truth is somewhere in the middle. There are women who are convinced that they can't lose 30 lbs because they have a thyroid problem. I know several of them  Sometimes what ails one isn't the thyroid - but there are medical staff out there who are exactly what lavender said - snake oil salesmen.

Many of the doctors that Shomon quotes are doctors who have something to sell. This really, really, bothers me. An often quoted book "Why do I still have symptoms..." is written by a chiropractor who trains other chiropractors to treat thyroid.

The best one I have come across lately: I bought a book for my Kindle on Amazon. The book was so bad I wrote a scathing review and got my money back. The book was full of grammar errors and misspellings and the author's advice for thyroid patients and weight loss: spin around in a circle clockwise 4-5 times per day.

Here's the book - my review is the scathing one (mine is the short, one star review) that was attacked by the next reviewer in the review titled "This Book is For Open Minded People":
http://www.amazon.com/Hypothyroidis...FCOM/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1312369714&sr=8-9

I did some investigation into the author and it turns out there is no "Jennifer Jolan." It is a middle age MAN writing as Jolan. Qualification? Who knows. It is a creepy world out there. I am becoming less and less inclined to believe anything any medical person (professional or advocate) says on the internet. They all have some sort of agenda.


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

I think I may need to start a thread titled "Thyroid Quacks" to help us sort out the real treatment from the providers who are just willing to drain our bank accounts!


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## HeidiBR (Apr 4, 2010)

I actually think that is a great idea!


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