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Underactive thyroid function is becoming alarmingly common — and is horribly under-diagnosed. The good news is that once it is diagnosed, it can be very easy to treat, and treatment can save your life in addition to making life worth living!

The thyroid gland, located in the neck area, is the body’s gas pedal. It regulates the body’s metabolic speed. If the thyroid gland produces insufficient amounts of thyroid hormones, the metabolism decreases and the person gains weight. Other symptoms of underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism include:

  • Intolerance to cold
  • Fatigue
  • Achiness
  • Confusion and brain fog
  • Constipation
  • Puffy face
  • Hoarseness
  • Muscle weakness
  • Elevated blood cholesterol level
  • Pain or swelling in joints
  • Irregular menstrual periods
  • Thinning hair
  • Slowed heart rate
  • Depression
  • Anxiety

Unfortunately, current blood testing misses the majority of people who need thyroid hormone treatment. Sadly, many physicians don’t know that the testing is unreliable, and continue to treat the tests instead of the person. Holistic physicians (visit The American Board of Holistic Medicine to find one) know how to treat underactive thyoid, taking both your symptoms and labs into account. Anyone with even two of the above symptoms should consider a trial of natural prescription thyroid medication (e.g., Armour Thyroid).

Low thyroid problems are increasing in frequency. In the U.S., they mostly occur because the thyroid is being attacked by our own immune system (an autoimmune process called “Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis” — diagnosed by having an elevated anti-TPO antibody which is a simple blood test). A resurgence of iodine and selenium deficiencies is also contributing to thyroid problems. Having the problem is no big deal — as long as you get treated properly with natural thyroid hormone.

What Is The Cost Of Missing Hypothyroidism?

  1. Over 30,000 preventable deaths occur each year from heart attacks. Women with untreated hypothyroidism are more than twice as likely to have a heart attack.
  2. Over 4,600 miscarriages occur each year after 15 weeks of pregnancy — countless more before. Six percent of miscarriages are associated with hypothyroidism. And in moderate to severely hypothyroid mothers, babies are over six times as likely to die soon after being born.
  3. Children born to hypothyroid mothers have a lower IQ (by an average of seven points). They are almost four times as likely to have an IQ under 85 and over twice as likely to have learning difficulties.
  4. Hypothyroidism contributes to millions being unnecessarily disabled. Over 6 million Americans have fibromyalgia and tens of millions more have chronic muscle pain. Undiagnosed or inadequately treated thyroid disorders contribute to these unnecessarily disabling conditions.
  5. Hypothyroidism is a major cause of gaining and being unable to lose weight. It causes fatigue, dry hair, coarse skin, depression, and “brain fog” as well. Americans are currently treating underactive thyroid, which is often confused as being depression, with Prozac! This is an even bigger problem in the elderly who are being misdiagnosed with depression or Alzheimer’s Disease when what they have is hypothyroidism.

While only lab testing can determine with certainty that you have underactive thyroid, you can perform a simple at-home self-examination called the “Neck Check™” to help detect if you have an enlarged thyroid gland and should speak with your doctor about further testing. For step-by-step instructions on how to perform the Neck Check™, visit the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

This article was reprinted with permission from the author.

Here’s a video to help you do a neck check:

Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., Director of the Practitioners Alliance Network, is one of the most frequently quoted integrative medical authorities in the world. He is the author of the best-selling From Fatigued to Fantastic!, Pain Free, 1,2,3!, the Beat Sugar Addiction Now! series, Real Cause Real Cure, The Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Solution, and the popular free smartphone app Cures A-Z. He is the lead author of four studies on effective treatment for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, and a study on effective treatment of autism using NAET. Dr. Teitelbaum appears often as a guest on news and talk shows nationwide including Good Morning America, The Dr. Oz Show, Oprah & Friends, CNN, and FoxNewsHealth. Learn more at Vitality101.com.


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